Tony DiNozzo Hero of Misfits
by StarksthenameSnarkisthegame
Summary: When an NCIS agent dies because of poor training the team get a surprise. Two twins- SFC Tony DiNozzo and Natasha are hired to train them in hand to hand combat. Tony's a war hero who won't take Gibbs crap and Natasha's a martial arts ninja in Abby's eyes. This is pretty serious no matter how silly the summary sounds. ArmyRangerTony! Warning: Language. AU set in season 2. Team fic.
1. SFC Tony DiNozzo

No Copy Right Infringement Intended.

A/N This is a new NCIS AU. Review, Favorite, and Follow! Thanks! C: Warning: Language and mentions of September 11th. I've done A LOT of research. I'm really interested in the military but I don't know a lot, So any inaccuracies are my fault obviously. I'm terribly sorry if I've made any major mistake – No flames. If you have any questions about the abbreviations' I have explained them at the bottom!

Abby was tapping impatiently on the rectangular oak table. The team watched as her shiny black nails tapped an annoying rhythm on the table. They didn't tell her to stop because they all felt like doing the same thing, They just had more control. The team- including Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby- were called into a meeting at 0730. It was abrupt and cut into their work day so they were all displeased. They sat in the conference room for ten minutes before Jenny walked in.

"Okay, I've called you all in here today for some very important business. As you all know Agent Frank Willis on Agent Singer's team passed away yesterday. Me and a couple of others reviewed the closest security cameras and watched as he was…beaten to death, by one single man. We believe he wasn't trained enough in hand to hand combat. So now every NCIS employee and consultant will begin training in different types of combat. You will start tomorrow. I have a two man team coming in. Tony DiNozzo, a SFC in the army rangers. He has been in combat many of times. He's served in the Global War On Terrorism, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other top secret missions far above my head. He was injured last year protecting three of his soldiers and is still recovering. You might have seen him on the news as he did receive a purple heart for his service. He's been awarded the Silver Star, Meritorious Service Medal, and a variety of other medals. We are lucky to have him so I expect you all to behave. His twin sister Natasha is a professional martial artist. She'll be training you in various fighting styles – A form of Iaido and other techniques to help all of you strike better. I expect you _all_ to listen to the instructors." Jenny said with a glare towards Gibbs. Gibbs scowled back, Ducky smiled, and the rest pouted as if their lives depended on it.

Gibbs was pissed. His team might need a little help but he sure as hell didn't. He will admit that he was impressed by this Tony guy. That was a lot of awards and a lot of deployments. Sure army ranger's deployments are usually shorter than others but they were more frequent. That meant when you couldn't make future plans in fear of not being there. Gibbs was a sniper and he didn't enjoy the length of his deployments but once his target was deceased he could go. The rangers had difficult missions that took time. He didn't voice his annoyance because he didn't want anything to happen to his people like Agent Willis. If his knuckles were white by the end of the meeting he didn't notice.

Kate was a little annoyed. She thought she had enough hand to hand combat. I mean she was in the secret service. You have to know a little more than shooting a gun to be able to protect the president. She shrugged off her annoyance. Being senior field agent made her responsible for her younger agent. She knew he had the bare minimum in the hand to hand combat department so she smiled and acted like it would be fun. She did have a reputation to withhold; And Tony wasn't too bad looking either.

Tim was scared. This Tony guy seemed like a tough dude and he wasn't in the best physical shape. He didn't have the cool marine skills Gibbs did and he couldn't take down a threat towards the president either. He felt lonely. The others weren't expected to be physically fit. As long as they could lift a body onto a stretcher and carry a vile of blood they could be as unfit as they wanted. Compared to the other agents he was like a toddler, He was like a terrified toddler.

Abby was totally excited. She got to be a ninja in training and be guided by a real hero. It was like a dream in her eyes. She wanted to shoot a gun and kick some ass with the others too. She was never jealous but if Timmy got to shoot a gun so should she.

Ducky was absolutely delighted. He knew he was an older fellow and he was very fit. He never had any interest in causing anyone harm but after examining Agent Willis's body he wanted to know how. He did have Mr. Palmer and the unlucky people in his office to protect didn't he?

Jimmy was scared but not as scared as Tim obviously was. He stayed fit enough, Lifting bodies and going to college did that to you. He was always running between school and work and even formed a nice six pack in the process. He didn't know how to shoot a gun but he could lift someone almost twice his size. That counted right?

Jenny slid the two blue files to the end of the table and left satisfied. She smirked as she walked confidently out of the room. Gibbs almost growled but grabbed the files. He passed one to Abby who was waving her hands around like a maniac and took the other. Her eyes widened in shock and the team looked over to her.

"Wow. He's hot! I thought he'd be some old dude!" Abby said with a grin. She looked at the tan skinned man with a big smile. He was wearing his tan beret and dress blues. An American flag was placed behind him and he seemed happy. Another picture was him with his platoon. They were obviously fighting in a war somewhere judging by the amount of dirt and weapons on their bodies. He had his hand on a younger mans shoulder and an arm around an older man's back; He was grinning underneath his dark green helmet. Kate smiled and nodded in approval as she looked at Tony's picture.

"He does look pretty nice. I think this training will be fun? You think so Abby?" Kate said with a wink. Abby nodded and smiled.

"Very fun Kate." Abby said with a smile. Ducky chuckled and waved his hand. Abby started reading the file in her perfect narrator voice.

"Okay. Tony DiNozzo is a sergeant-first class in the army rangers. He was born in July, nineteen seventy nine. He's thirty five. He's of Italian descent and he was born in Rhode Island. His mother died when he was eight and his father died in…Oh my god." Abby said with a hand to her mouth. She was teary eyed and Kate sighed. The men looked over curiously.

"His dad died during Nine-Eleven. He was in one of the World Trade Center's…They never recovered his body." Abby said with a frown. She wiped her eyes causing her mascara to spread horizontally across her temple. Gibbs nodded grimly for her to keep going. She nodded and ran her finger down the page, trying to find her place.

"Um he went to Harvard. He has a 4.0 GPA and studied criminal psychology. He has **a lot** of awards, Over thirty of them. Some of them are the bronze star medal, a lot of good conduct medals; he's a distinguished international shooter Gibbs! He's got other awards too. An army sea service ribbon, A non-commissioned officer professional development ribbon, The Distinguished Service Medal and his platoon has been awarded a lot of medals as a whole. His commanding officers described him as 'A smart-ass who has exceptional aim.' And 'A tough stubborn man who leads as easy as he breaths.' He's been deployed over fourteen times. He has no one other than his sister's family. Her husband and three kids are his only living family. His medical contacts are Natasha DiNozzo and her husband Owen DiNozzo. His team consists of sixteen men. He's trained them for three years and they've been deployed as a group ten times. Not one of them has ever been injured except for Tony himself. He seems to act as their human shield because he's been shot fifteen times. In every medical report his soldiers said that he jumped in front of them or pushed them out of the way. "Abby looked over to Gibbs who had a proud gleam in his eyes. She was about to flip the page when a knock on the door interrupted her.

A woman with caramel blonde hair was standing there holding a blue duffel and a tan beret. Her smile brightened the room and she seemed very happy. Her shoulder length hair made her bright emerald eyes pop. She had on tight blue jeans and bright pink heels. Her shirt was a blinding yet beautiful yellow. She had on a silver cross that lay comfortably on her collarbone and a gold yet modest wedding ring on her fourth finger. She was around five nine and had a slim muscular figure. She walked into the large room with a shy smile.

"Is this team Gibbs?" Natasha said with a soft but confident voice. Gibbs smiled and nodded.

"Yeah are you Natasha?" Gibbs said while taking the duffel from her. She handed it over to him but kept the tan beret in her hand. She smiled when he pulled out a chair. She took a seat and nodded.

"Yes I'm one of the trainers NCIS hired. You are Leroy Gibbs correct?" She said with a gentle smile. He nodded and took his rightful place at the top of the table.

"Yes. That's Kate, Abby, Tim, Ducky, and Jimmy." Gibbs said while pointing to the correct person. She nodded and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Natasha, TJ's sister." Natasha said with a wave. They nodded and exchanged greetings before Gibbs looked at her.

"TJ? Is that what Tony likes to be called?" Gibbs said softly. She nodded and smiled.

"Yeah his men said Tony didn't fit him too well so they abbreviated. He's a junior so they called him Tony Junior- TJ. It stuck I guess." Natasha said with a smile. Gibbs nodded and looked at the tan beret she was playing with.

"Is that your brother's?" Gibbs said with a soft voice. She nodded and glanced down at it.

"Yeah, I'm sure you all know that he's on medical leave right now. He stayed with his platoon in Fort Benning after he was shot. He's been doing PT there because he didn't want to burden me and my husband. I tried to get him to come home but he wouldn't budge. He's stubborn but I'm glad he's with his men. I haven't seen him in three years so when he told me he was going to train agents here I submitted my resume and got partnered with him. He sent me this when he got put on medical leave. He's still training his men but he got shot in the femur this time so it was rough." She said while holding the tan beret up. Gibbs nodded and Abby looked over to her and grinned.

"Well I'm glad that we're horrible fighters, you get to see your brother. That's awesome." Abby said with a small hyper clap. Natasha laughed and nodded.

"Yeah I've missed him. My kids have been begging to come with me but NCIS won't let them in. He's getting off of his plane in about two hours. I'm taking him and my family out to dinner tonight to celebrate. You guys can join if you'd like. Tony won't mind. The more the better." Natasha said with a smile. Abby clapped and Jimmy smiled in shy excitement.

"Gibbs? Can we can we pleeeeeeeaaaaasee? It can be like those adorable internet videos where the kids see their deployed parents for the first time! Except it will be right in front of us! I already have the perfect water proof mascara! Kate can borrow it! It will be team bon-"Gibbs held up a hand and smiled.

"If Sergeant DiNozzo doesn't mind then we'll go." Gibbs said with a smile towards the team. Natasha looked over to the two blue files on the table.

"Are those me and TJ's files?" Natasha said with a curious glance. Gibbs nodded hesitantly but Natasha gave him a reassuring smile.

"TJ doesn't tell me everything for safety reasons and the fact that I might have a heart attack if he did. I don't want to know what he's done or what's been done to him. If you could keep that information to yourself I would really appreciate it, he would too." Natasha said with a small smile. Kate nodded in understanding and grabbed the files. She walked to the large shredder in the corner and slid them in. The whole team watched as the large papers turned into white confetti. She smiled in satisfaction and sat down.

"That was a copy, I'm sure the director won't mind." Kate said with a smile towards Gibbs. Gibbs nodded and stood. He looked over to Natasha and then at his watch.

"You said he was landing in two hours right? Those rangers have fast planes that don't make stops along the way so we might want to start heading out." Gibbs said while looking at the door. Natasha nodded and grabbed the duffel full of her clothes. NCIS was two hours away from her home and she needed to change for training sessions. The team packed into the NCIS issued SUV. They all chuckled nervously when they saw Natasha snatch the keys from Gibbs with a smirk.

After two hours of uncomfortable thigh touching and Natasha's loud rock music they made it to the airport. Natasha grabbed the tan beret nervously and practically ran to the gates. The team followed in tow but stayed back so the two could have their moment.

Ten minutes later the gates opened and all of the military family's stood. Men and women in camouflage uniforms and dress blues walked out of the gate with duffel bags and tan berets. Natasha searched the crowd and the team watched as a large tan skinned man walked out of the gates. He was wearing dress blues that displayed a variety of medals and ribbons. He had his duffel on his shoulder and walked with an almost unnoticeable limp in his right leg. His emerald eyes met Natasha's matching ones and he ran towards her, His limp unnoticeable now. His large biceps engulfed her and she clutched his dress blues with her neat manicured hands. She was shaking with sobs by now and he was grinning happily. He looked over her shoulder at the group and met Gibb's cobalt eyes. Gibbs nodded in appreciation and Tony smiled. He held Natasha for three more minutes before he smirked.

"You're going to get my blues dirty little woman. Come on, I've got a reputation to hold here. I've already got the limp, can't have dirty clothes too." Tony said with a smile. She nodded and sighed. She looked up at him and smiled.

"TJ." She whispered proudly.

The acronyms at the top are defined here:

GPA: Grade Point Average

PT: Physical Therapy

SUV: Sports Utility Vehicle

NCIS (I hope you know what this means? c: ) Naval Criminal Investigative Service

A/N Should I continue? If so review, favorite, and follow. Thanks to all the men and women who have/are serving. c:


	2. Team DiNozzo

A/N Chapter 2. Review, Favorite, and Follow! Thanks! c: Warnings: Mentions of war, Language, and cute fluff. You guys are AHMAZING. You literally blew up my email. I would go reply to one review and another would pop up. Keep it coming! c:

**Tony's POV.**

It had been a long year. He was leading five of his men to secure three children of terrorist Sayid Abaas before killing him. Sayid was running drug cartels along the Mexican-US border and then running back to Iraq, Leaving his men to the police. His so called men had squealed like pigs and the FBI found out a lot. Sayid had transported over three million dollars worth of heroin, weed, and different opiates before the border police and the FBI found his home. They gave the information to the rangers and the higher command gave it to him.

He had picked his most experienced men and women. Bobby 'BJ' Jameson, Danny 'pretty boy' Valastro, Chase 'little man' Nelson, Annabelle 'Anny' Whitehead, and Faith 'hot shot' Nash. He trained them all from cadets and loved each of them like brothers and sisters. Some of them were older than him and some a couple years younger. He knew about all of them. Their favorite colors, food, stores. He knew their birthdates, their families, hell he even knew how each of them liked their coffees. He made sure to get to know all sixteen of them. He wasn't going to be the cold commanding officer. He was going to be the reassuring pat on the back and the one who would never let you down. That's exactly what he did.

Bobby is five years older than Tony. He is six foot tall with dark chestnut hair. He has dark grey eyes and a slim muscular figure. He got his nickname because there were five other Bobby's during his training. He had met Tony when he was watching the superior men and women spar. Tony's smart ass attitude attracted him; He hoped that he would be assigned to that platoon.

Danny is a year younger than Tony. He's five eleven with light blonde hair. His eyes are bright blue and he looks like a model. He has a chiseled chin with long eyelashes. His nose is perfectly proportionate and he has no scars or blemishes visible. Tony gave him his name – Pretty boy. Danny had met Tony on a coffee break. He had just gotten back from the shooting range to qualify and was jittery. Tony was also getting coffee and noticed. Tony put a reassuring hand on his shaking shoulder and smiled gently. _"Calm down kid, you'll be great. I can see it in ya." _ Danny stopped shaking and smiled confidently. Tony saved him from himself. When he was assigned to Sergeant DiNozzo's platoon he literally squealed in joy. It definitely earned him some weird looks.

Chase is three years older than Tony. He has dark ebony hair and dark brown eyes. Standing at five nine he's shorter than the rest of them. Tony gave him his nickname after accidently elbowing him in the head. _Tony looked down at the hard thing he just bumped into. It was Chase. Damn, He didn't realize the man was that short. He smiled and laughed. "Sorry littleman didn't mean to hurt ya." In return he received a half hearted glare._ They had met on base when neither of them was deployed. A kid had fallen into a sewer and Tony was the first one on scene. He arrived shortly after and had brought a med bag and some towels. Tony had lifted the scrawny eight year old out and smiled over at him. He took the med bag and got the child's scratched knee cleaned out. He then took the kid to the basketball court and played for three hours. Chase watched how gentle and calm this man was. He immediately wanted him as a CO.

Annabelle is Tony's age. She has dark brown shoulder length hair. Her eyes are a soft hazel color and she's five eleven. She has a slim figure with strong shoulders. Tony had given her the nickname Anny because apparently 'Annabelle has waaay too many syllables'. Annabelle had met Tony in the med bay. She had split open her eyebrow during a practice mission and was getting it taped up when he walked in. He had just come back from a solo mission and was holding a clearly broken arm. EMT's were running after him but he was quicker. He was limping slightly and that's when she noticed the gunshot wound to the thigh. She laughed despite the worry. When he ran to the bed next to her she smiled curiously. She watched as he dug through various tapes and medicines before finding some clamps. He put a tongue depressor between his teeth and before she could say stop he pulled the bullet out. He didn't even flinch and she was over there gagging at the sickly suction sound. He then grabbed a splint and some duct tape and set his arm. The EMT's were searching the other side of the sick bay so he had plenty of time. When he was done he sighed and looked up at her. "_I don't like doctors. They take too long." _ Then he was gone in a flash. He ran to what she assumed was his bunk while she sat there in shock. When she was assigned to Sergeant DiNozzo's platoon she was both frightened and amused.

Faith is two years older than Tony. She has bright blonde honey colored hair and is five ten. She has a slim figure and long legs. Her nickname did not originate because she's a cocky genius but because she's a clumsy woman. She was at the firing range when she first met Tony. She watched as he got every bullet into the paper dummy's head. She was just starting her ranger training and wanted to get some practice in. She knew it was stupid to shoot in jean shorts but her nervousness won out. She shot the bullet and the casing flew out. It fell onto her bare thigh and she screamed in pain. Tony put his gun into his holster and ran over to her. He smiled at the small burn mark that lay on her thigh. It was oddly shaped like Michael Jackson's side profile. He had helped her tape it up and sent her to her bunk. "_Goodnight hotshot." Tony said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes fondly in response._ After that she never saw him again. He had been deployed the next day and she wished that she was assigned to his platoon. She never got to say thank you so when she got the assignment letter she jumped so high her head hit the ceiling fan. She never said she was coordinated.

SFC DiNozzo trained these men and women to perfection. He could be a hard ass but he wasn't as bad as the other CO's. The other CO's probably felt the same way towards his soldiers but they didn't know how to show it. He used is charm and attitude to motivate them. He had trained soldiers in the past but not sixteen at once. When he got the opportunity to move up in the military he smiled and said hell yes. He would admit it was a challenge. Some of them were older and thought they deserved more respect than the others. Tony had to straighten them all out. They were equals whether they liked it or not. Once he got past the petty jealousy he got to know the people he was leading.

So now he had the best of his platoon with him. They were going to Zakho, Iraq. They had just gotten off of the Navy vessel Shirley; where they hitched a ride before it departed. They had hiked along the Turkey and Iraq border swiftly. It was three in the morning so they had the perfect cover of night. They reached the Khabur River and met their illegal guide. He steered the small wooden boat around the large stumps and vines. They finally reached their destination a day and a half later. They got their duffels out and changed behind a large bush. So now that they were in casual clothes, holding no weapons or anything resembling a weapon, they would go unnoticed. They looked like the casual group of clueless tourists. Except they knew exactly where they were and where they were going. Tony had even brought along those ugly old-man moccasins and a pair of binoculars for show; He would never admit it but the moccasins _were_ extremely comfortable.

They walked to the nearest base, Located near a small bistro at the center of the city. They made sure they weren't followed as they slipped into the small nondescript apartment. They stripped off the ridiculous khaki pants and ugly stripped polo's and got to work.

Chase packed the med bags considering he was the team's doctor this time around. He made sure they had small bottles of alcohol, tourniquet, gauze, splints, wraps, Tylenol, and clean bottled water. Once he had the tiny first aid kit packed to the rim he strapped it on his belt buckle.

Danny was their famous computer tech. He made sure they had the large military issued computers packed and updated. They didn't really need any more maintenance. They were screwed into a bullet proof casing and the screen was bullet proof glass. It was as protected as it was going to get. They weighed sixty pounds with all of the crap. It was hell out on the field.

Faith cleaned all of the guns that the members of this particular base had given them. She complained about how dirty these beautiful guns were. She said she was going to shoot whoever was in charge of cleaning these precious creatures; then clean them again afterward.

Annabelle made sure they had their maps, knives, flashlights, stun guns, water, and food packed safely in the many pockets located on their uniform. They were crossing a somewhat large city on feet during the night, they needed to be prepared. Once she approved of their supply quantity she went over to where Bobby and Tony were drawing on a worn map.

"Hey! Over here now." Tony said loudly. The three members that were just finishing up ran to the table. Bobby stood from his sitting position and Annabelle stayed where she was. The five member team was standing strong, their faces plain and eyes barely blinking. Their tight hands lay behind their backs formally and their boot cladden feet were shoulder length apart. They stared at the decrepit wall in front of them as Tony smiled softly.

"At ease soldiers." With that simple command their whole demeanor changed. They walked with less tension and they smiled. They took their seats around the small wooden table. Tony grinned and pointed to the map he and Bobby were working on.

"Okay listen up. Were heading out at 2300. It should be dark enough to carry our rifles. BJ's going to get the fucker while we get the children out of the way. His wife died a year ago so nannies take care of them when their father is on 'business' trips. From what my contacts have collected there are three of them. The oldest is Jahida, She's nine years old. Her younger brother is Taabish, He's seven years old. Then the youngest of the group is Zada, He's only two. Bobby will take Sayid out while he's in his office. He goes in there every night at around 2100. Bobby will take cover in the tree outside of his window." Tony turned toward Bobby and looked at him with a stern expression.

"You shoot him jump down and run as fast as you can. I don't want you pulling any hero bullshit. More reinforcements will most likely be sent in and you'll be dead before you hit the ground if you don't listen. I know what the hell to do. You get back to base and stay alive. Got it?" Tony asked in his best I-am-your-leader-you-must-obey-me-voice. BJ nodded.

"Yes sir." BJ said loudly. He got up and went to get his rifle. It was new and he was happy. Tony was a better shot then him but it was only one person so he didn't have anything to not-hit. He grabbed the gun he named Bertha and grinned. He started cleaning the barrel and checking the scope. It wasn't that far of a distance. Maybe twenty feet or so, But he liked using scopes. It made him feel like a ninja for some reason.

"Okay the problem we've got is the hired guns he has protecting his children. If they hear the shot from BJ their going to go into the children's rooms and uh…execute them. Sayid has ordered them to get rid of anyone who might know something while under attack. Apparently his children have been nosy so he's been keeping them in their rooms, trying to decide what to do with them. Now not only are these lives were talking about but they obviously know something. They could help us take down other allies of Sayid. I'll take the youngest one. Hot shot you take Jahida. Pretty boy get's Taabish. Anny, watch pretty boys six and little man gets to watch hot shots back. You get the kids and get the fuck out. I don't want any civilian causality's. You protect the children and yourselves. We've already got the CFS on standby so hand the kids off and come back here. I expect to see you all home by breakfast." Tony said with a cheeky smile. The team nodded and Chase looked up worriedly.

"Sir permission to speak freely?" Chase asked with a calm voice. Tony nodded and he frowned.

"Who the fuck is going to watch your six?" Chase said with worry etched along his dirty face. The rest of the team nodded in agreement and Tony sighed.

"I'm the most experienced and we don't have the resources. As long as you take care of yourself I'll be fine. Now get your shit were heading out soon." Tony growled out. Chase nodded and got his stuff, an order was an order and he had to follow it. Once the team was packed and armed they waited. They watched as the hot Iraqi sun fell below the dry, cracked dirt. Once it was time the team slipped out of the small apartment with whispered 'good lucks' from their American allies. They traveled across the dirt road silently; their heavy boots fell into a quiet rhythm. They traveled three miles past homes, small restaurants, and empty lots until they found the large but modest house that was Sayid's. It was two stories tall and made of brick. The roof was slanted at an angle and covered in black panels. The windows were large and covered in cream colored curtains. The yard was immaculate. A large white fence surrounded the house. Bushes, vines, and flowers of all shapes and colors were organized in nice neat patterns along the fence. A large piece of playground equipment that consisted of two yellow slides, three swings, and a pair of monkey bars, sat in the far right corner.

They hopped over the fence and took cover behind the bushes. Bobby ran over to the tree he would be shooting from and set his rifle down. He took out his knife and cut a v-shaped nick in the tree. He placed the barrel of his rifle in the small nick and got comfortable. He slowed his breathing and calmed his heart rate. On the other side of the yard the remaining team was covering themselves in leaves to remain unnoticed. Tony peeked into the window and looked at his team.

"Okay, Three men. One is African American, around six foot one, scar on the right temple. The second one is Caucasian, around five ten, mole on his left cheek. The third one is Iraqi, around five eleven, a square shaped burn on his bicep. They've got AK-47's; it looks like they all have extra clips in their pockets. Shoot those three men and get everyone else out of the way. Do I make myself clear?"

Four 'yes sirs' filled the air and Tony nodded in approval. He grabbed his own AK-47 and made sure the clip wouldn't jam. Once everyone had a fully stocked clip they continued around the house. They all unclipped their safety and got ready. They found the door that would get them to the children's rooms in the least amount of time. Tony took out his locked picks and grinned. They heard the familiar sound of the lock releasing and Tony snuck in first. He cleared the nearest rooms and looked into the dim corridor. The three men were standing straight, their guns pointed down but fully loaded. Tony pressed his pager that would make Bobby's beep softly. That meant that Bobby could shoot when he was ready.

Bobby took his aim. He looked through the small scope and grinned when he found the fucker who has been selling drugs. It's not that he enjoyed killing people, but if it kept his country safe then he would do anything. He made sure to get a headshot; He didn't want anyone to suffer. Once he knew it would be quick and painless he followed his heartbeat. **Thump-thump-thump-BANG thumpthumpthumpthumpthump **He watched as the unsuspecting man got his brains blown out. He watched as the body hit the soft maroon carpet before putting his rifle in the large black bag. He jumped out of the tree and landed in a roll. He ran to the bushes and started down the road. He didn't look back when he heard the gunfire. He held onto the small bronze cross that lay around his neck and prayed as he ran. The soft sound of his boots kicking up the small gravel was the only thing making noise in the silent night when the gunfire subsided.

Tony and the team heard the shot. They advanced toward the men and snuck up behind them. When the tall African man was about to turn around Tony shot him in his temple. When the shorter Caucasian man started advancing on Danny, Annabelle shot him in the knee and then in the forehead. The Iraqi man tried to steady his gun on Faith but Chase glared at him and shot him in the head before he could take another breath. They all ran to the appropriate rooms to get the frightened children. Tony grabbed the smallest child and placed him in the crook of one arm. He kept his gun in the other and made it out of the house swiftly. He handed the child off to the CFS agent and noticed his team wasn't out. He looked towards the door and watched as Faith ran out with the two remaining children.

"Sir! Their inside. Apparently those reinforcements live in the basement. They need help." She said hurriedly. Tony nodded and placed another clip into his gun. He ran to the door and scurried across the doorway where bullets were raining in. He found the three members of his team crouched in a corner. They all sighed in relief when they saw him. Chase was out of ammo along with Annabelle. Danny was knocked out cold, Slumped against the wall with a nice bump on the side of his head. Tony grinned over to them and laughed.

"Pretty boy's not so pretty anymore huh? He's gonna have a nice concussion tomorrow." Tony said with a smile. The team nodded and looked at him curiously.

"What are you thinking sir? The LEO's aren't equipped for this type of fire fight." Chase said with a nod toward the corridor. Tony nodded grimly.

"I've got two full clips. Anny's gonna take one and cover me. Your gonna take pretty boy and get the hell out. Sorry little man she's a better shot and she doesn't need any blood on that uniform. It's brand new." Tony said with a grin. Chase nodded and took the larger man into a firefighter's hold with the help of Tony. He ran across the doorway and out of the house before he could get shot. Tony nodded in approval and threw the full clip to Annabelle.

"Anny? Be careful. Make sure they don't hit my pretty face and I'll be fine. It is my money maker after all." Tony said with a huge shit-eating grin. Annabelle nodded with a smile; Tony turned serious and looked down the hall. He grabbed his semi automatic and checked the clip.

"I'm going to go down that hall and kill the mother fuckers. Watch my back and don't step into the hallway for _anything._ I mean it Anny. That's an order." Tony whispered roughly. Annabelle nodded and sent a reassuring smile towards her CO. Tony nodded his thanks and crouched down. He entered the hallway silently and prayed that Anny wouldn't get hurt. His whole team was dumb in that sense. They were always worrying about him. It warmed yet irked his cold heart. He wants them to keep themselves in line before coming after him. If he died today he wouldn't mind. He'd get to see his deceased family and watch over his team, sister, nieces, nephew, and brother in law. He'd know that he made a difference; whether it was the body count or future children's life's.

As he made his way down the hallway his gut churned. It was a familiar feeling that gave him irresistible adrenaline rush. It meant that something exciting was going to happen. Tony DiNozzo and excitement equal bullet wound.

He rounded the corner and continued down. The men should be here. It's where the parade of bullets were coming from so? Oh shit.

He watched in what seemed like slow mo. A man hopped down from where he was holding himself in the corner of the ceiling. He bounced down on his heels behind Tony and pulled the trigger. He felt the bullet glide into his hip bone with a sickly crack. His leg faltered and he knew that more men were coming towards Anny and his team outside. Since the local LEO's were poor as dirt they had the bare minimum in the weapons department. He fell to the ground and his head bounced like a basket ball. He knew he it had hit a major blood vessel because it was literally shooting out of his leg somehow. He refused to look and dragged himself against the wall. He spotted the man that had apparently found a partner rounding the corner towards Anny. He shot both of their kneecaps out and grinned in satisfaction. He dragged himself over to the isolated guns and took them. He spit on the men and shot their second kneecaps, effectively shattering both.

"Looks like ya won't be getting up soon." Tony said with a pained grin. The blood loss was making him weak and his pain receptors were going crazy. He pulled himself over to Anny who eyes popped out of her head comically.

"Holy shit." She whispered looking at her CO's hip. It was a high caliber bullet and left a nice one inch hole in his hip. It ripped the skin off and she could see some bone. It was grotesque and she wanted to puke right there. But she couldn't. She was a ranger. Her CO was down along with one of her teammates. Bobby was still at the makeshift base and he couldn't get here in time. The hospitals were absolute shit. A healthy person could walk into one and become gravely ill because of the sanitary conditions. She frowned and bent down. He seemed completely conscious so she grabbed her giant military issued satellite phone. She dialed the number for the emergency helicopter that was seventy miles away. Once she knew help would be there eventually she looked at her mentor.

"Stay awake sir. Ya know we could totally have matching scars. Your will probably be a tad bigger but whatever." She continued rambling and screamed Chase's name. The whole team ran in when they heard the urgency in her voice. Chase frowned at the large wound and bent down quickly. He opened the small first aid kit and put on some gloves.

"Hey dickhead. Stay the hell awake and I'll buy ya one of those smoothies you like. It's the wild berry one from Mickey D's right?" Chase said to the pale man. Tony frowned and shook his head. He laid down on his back and had his hands on his eyes.

"N-no. Its strawberry banana and you k-know it b-bitch." Tony said with one of his infamous smiles. Chase grinned; At least he was conscious enough to know what kind of smoothie he liked. Chase took the tourniquet out of the box and tied it around Tony's stomach tightly. He knew that if it was on too long he would lose both legs. But at this rate, he would die of blood loss first so that was more important. He took his lighter out and frowned.

"I'm gonna have to cauterize it. You okay with that boss?" Chase said with an uneasy grin. Tony frowned and smiled weakly.

"D-do whatever little man, its n-not my first cauterization. I know what it entails. Close y-your noses, M-my burnt flesh smells like s-shit." Tony said with a laugh. Chase smiled softly and nodded. He grabbed his lighter and held it under his shiny knife. He waited until the metal turned a fiery orange before pressing it into Tony's wound. Tony's jaw tightened but other than that he stayed silent. His leg sizzled and the remaining team coughed in disgust. Tony opened his eyes drowsily and laughed.

"T-t-told y-ya." Tony said with a shivering smile. He looked down at his leg and grinned.

"Well this is gonna hurt."

Tony was right. The helicopter finally came and they got Tony help. Months and months of bed ridden days and rough PT did in fact hurt. Tony's team stayed at the base to help him through it because they couldn't go on a mission by their selves. No one wanted to lead Tony DiNozzo's platoon. He always got the troubled ones and the men and women who would refuse to listen. It was a known fact.

Once he was fit enough to walk he continued to train his team. He still had that almost noticeable limp that was getting better over time. His leg hurt a lot though. Some days when it was bad he had to walk with a cane. His team would call him Dr. House for an obvious reason.

So when he got the call saying he could train some NCIS agents during his recovery he jumped at the opportunity. Then he got another call from his sister saying she was joining him he didn't bounce in glee. He swears he didn't.

His team was good enough to do missions but they refused to. They wanted to stay at the base and wait for him because no one else would put up with them. They had tried. They went through six CO's before the base said they could be used somewhere at home. So now they spent the days training other cadets and helping out military families. They missed Tony but made sure to video chat him every day. They were happy he was getting better. There was a major possibility of him coming back so they waited patiently.

Tony was currently on his flight to D.C. It was absolute hell. His leg kept cramping and throbbing from being so restricted for so long. He had to get up and limp around four times in the last hour to prevent cussing out one of the too-friendly flight attendants in a fit of misplaced anger. The air craft he was on was fast and roomy so he could practically run up and down the plane. It had other members of the military on it too. He knew over three fourths of them from serving with them or training them. There was a large variety of small airplane drinks that looked real tasty. He made sure to stay sober. He couldn't see his sister for the first time since forever drunk off his ass. He made it though. When the plane door opened he practically skipped out. Well it was more of a happy limp then a full fledged skip but it counted. Then the gates opened and he saw his sister.

She looked as beautiful as ever. Her hair was slightly lighter from going out in the sun. She was fit as always and glowing in his eyes. He ran over to her. It was a surprise to him considering he didn't know he could run. He engulfed her in his not-to-large arms and held her. She smelt like apples and lavender, An odd combination that fit her well somehow. He looked over her shoulder with blurry vision and noticed a group of people. The spunky goth was odd and so was the small kid with Harry Potter-type glasses. He noticed a strong confident woman with dark hair and an older man. The one that stuck out the most was the man in the middle. He was obviously a jarhead. His straight posture and hair cut made that known to anyone who knew what to look for. His eyes though. They were bright cobalt blue and staring right into his emerald ones. The older man nodded and Tony smiled back shyly. His sister tightened her hold before letting go.

"TJ." She whispered proudly. Tony grinned. He was finally home.

A/N Review, favorite, and follow for more! All inaccuracies are mine. I've done A LOT of research so I hope it's at least a little realistic. I know that women aren't allowed in the rangers (To fight in actual combat) and this is my au so I changed that. I don't want your opinions on my decision unless it's positive. I won't tolerate sexist comments so don't post them. Thanks to all whom are/have served. c:

2nd Authors note: I want Tony to be in a relationship with someone. You guys get to vote. I want it to be Gibbs, Abby, or Kate. I won't write sex scenes so don't expect that. I'm cool with guy on guy but I don't really like writing for Jimmy or Tim. Sorry to any Tim and Jimmy fans. Leave a review or PM with your suggestion! c:


	3. Tony's hip is killing him

A/N Chapter three. This is going to have more of the NCIS team. The reviews, favorites, and follows make my day so keep it up. c: Warning: Language.

Gibbs looked at the large muscular man. He definitely worked out. His biceps were large but not in that nasty body builder way. His legs were long, muscular, and covered in dress blues. His whole uniform was covered in different medals and ribbons. It was definitely a lot of awards. Gibbs was thoroughly impressed once again. He read about a couple of them but now seeing them displayed on the man's chest he realized the enormous quantity. Only one thought popped into his head. This guy was a real soldier.

Abby looked at the hunk of muscle. He was gorgeous and those pictures didn't do him any justice. She just wanted to latch onto his broad chest and hug him. He's been through a lot and she wanted to help him. She wanted to meet _him_, not read his file. There was something about him that made her feel like they've known each other for years. She was excited. They were going to be training together and she couldn't wait.

McGee watched as this tan muscular dude walked into the airport. He was huge and Tim was scared. He didn't expect everyone to be that fit did he? If he did the whole team was screwed. Tim refused to make eye contact in fear of being yelled at with that gruff drill sergeant voice that Gibbs used sometimes. He kept his eyes anywhere but those tough emerald ones.

Kate looked over to the man in sharp dress blues. His hair was slicked back with gel and he looked like an honest Italian. His bicep was as large as her thigh so he was definitely fit. She smiled. Maybe someone would appreciate her healthy eating habits. She hoped that they could share a tofu burrito one day.

Ducky frowned when he first seen the man. He noticed the limp and creased brow with one glance. He sent Jethro a look and he nodded. Somehow they didn't need words to speak. Jethro also noticed the limp and knew standing on that leg wasn't helping. The young man was obviously stubborn. He wasn't sitting down and he stood strong for his sister. Ducky smiled softly. Jethro and Tony were going to be great friends.

Palmer smiled nervously when the man walked in. He like Dr. Mallard noticed the small limp and hesitation the man experienced with each step. He also noticed how buff the man was. He probably had less than five percent body fat on his body. Palmer had a nice six pack but was terrified. He didn't have time to work out, go to school, and then work at NCIS too. He hoped the man was more understanding and sociable then Gibbs.

The team watched as the two siblings spoke softly. Natasha's nose was red and tear tracks were lining her cheeks. Tony had tears in his eyes and a huge grin on his face. His muscular build was favoring his left side. He was obviously in pain, grimacing each time his right foot touched the floor. Well it was obvious to anyone who was looking for the slight crease of the brow. Gibbs knew because his knee wasn't too great either. This kid was young and he was dealing with far too much pain for the benefit of his country. Gibbs didn't want to interrupt the siblings but when did that ever stop him?

Gibbs walked toward the twins, the team in tow. He knew that they needed to get the kid a chair or something to prop that leg up on. Natasha was pretty oblivious, her happiness clouding everything around her. Gibbs knew she wouldn't intentionally cause pain to her brother and he was too nice to ruin their moment. Gibbs walked up to Natasha's back and tapped her muscular shoulder. She smiled shyly and turned.

"Oh! TJ this is the team we're training. That's Gibbs, Kate, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, and Tim. Guys this is my brother, TJ." Natasha said with a blinding smile. The team smiled and Abby grinned. She nudged Kate's side with an elbow and winked.

"He's even cuter in person." Abby said loudly. Kate put her head down awkwardly and hid her blush. Tony chuckled and smiled softly.

"Hi I'm TJ. It's nice to meet you all." Tony said with a sly wink towards Abby. Abby squealed and licked her lips. Tim and Jimmy blushed furiously. They weren't used to this flirty Abby. Ducky chuckled and looked over to Gibbs with a smile. Natasha looked down at the tan beret in her hand. She smiled and handed it to Tony.

"Here it's yours. I'm glad your home." She said while handing the beret to him. He smiled and kissed the top of the cap. He placed it on top of his head. It looked normal there. Not many people can pull off a beret but Tony was definitely one of them. Tony looked over to Gibbs and smiled.

"I'm Gibbs. It's nice to meet you Sergeant." Gibbs said with a hand shake. Tony smiled genuinely and nodded.

"Nice to meet you too Gibbs. You're a Jarhead?" Tony said already knowing the answer. Gibbs smiled genuinely and Tony nodded knowingly.

"I'll be sure to bring you black when I buy the coffee." Tony said with a smile. Gibbs nodded in approval then looked down at Tony's leg.

"Where's your bags? I'll go get em. You need to get off that leg. Flying's a bitch." Gibbs said truthfully. Tony shook his head and frowned. Natasha frowned and looked down at her brothers trembling leg. Her eyes went large with guilt.

"I need to stretch it out. It's the baggage claim near gate six. You guys can come if you'd like?" Tony said while looking over to the gate six sign at least a hundred and fifty feet away. He grinned. It was far, maybe his muscle cramps would subside. The team nodded and Tony grabbed his sister's hand. He limped towards the gate and frowned subtly when his cramps didn't subside. He really didn't want to use his cane but he knew he needed to get better. He walked through the crowded terminal with some difficulty. His sister kept tightening her hold when his leg faltered. He sent her a reassuring smile as they reached the baggage claim. He grabbed his duffel that was coming around. His sister looked up at him.

"Don't you have more?" Natasha asked worriedly. Tony smiled and shrugged.

"I travel a lot. Can't have things slowing me down." Tony said with a smile. He pointed over to a group of unoccupied chairs and the rest nodded. He lifted his duffel over his shoulder stubbornly. Gibbs shook his head and Tony smiled cheekily. They reached the chair and Tony opened his bag. He dug around torn pictures and worn out camo's. He smiled and reached down further. He pulled out his cane and his face got serious. He made a humming noise and whipped his cane out. It got longer and straight like a white cane that blind people use. It was bright neon green and it had signatures on it. It was very obnoxious and it fit him well. He swung it around and Jimmy smiled knowingly. Tim's soft laugh came out abruptly. When Tony turned towards him his heart raced. Tony smiled reassuringly.

"Speak." Tony said firmly. McGee nodded and pointed to the cane.

"It's a light saber from Star Wars." McGee said with a small nervous smile. Tony's smiled brightened and he nodded.

"That is correct McSmartypants." Tony said with a nod. The team grinned at the nickname and Tony coughed firmly. Gibbs felt like snapping to attention but restrained himself. The rest of the team froze and looked at him. He just had that effect. People wanted to listen to him because he was so confident and trustworthy. Tony handed his cane to his sister and zipped his camouflage duffel. He handed it to Gibbs with a smile.

"Stop grumbling. You can have it now." Tony said with a cheeky smile. The whole team froze while Ducky chuckled. They expected Gibbs to growl and glare but he just smiled. It seemed pretty genuine and the team caught their breath. They have never seen anyone talk to their boss like that and get away with it. Tony looked over to the teams shocked faces and laughed.

"He can't yell at me. I'm a cripple for now." Tony said with a grin. He took his cane out of his sister's hand and smiled thankfully. She watched as he made sure it wouldn't collapse under his weight. She was worried about her little brother. She has never seen him so injured before. She couldn't imagine what it was like when he first got hurt.

Once Tony made sure it wasn't going to collapse he began to walk. Natasha stayed on one side of him while Abby stomped on the other. He was comfortable with the cane. He acted like it was a limb and didn't trip over it like a person who was unfamiliar with it. He started to limp over to the soldiers who were seeing their families. When he walked over they all straightened up and saluted. He frowned.

"We're on safe soil soldiers. At ease." He said loudly. His voice carried over the large airport and the team watched as the soldiers relaxed. He walked over to the first family and grinned. He kissed the hand of the mother of Cadet Gordon. He wrapped the smaller cadet in a hug and then bent down to the little girl. His hip was screaming at him but he ignored it. He took the girls small hand and kissed it. She blushed and smiled.

"You keep your daddy out of trouble. You got it Hanny?" Tony asked the seven year old. He'd met her two years back while training her father. He knew all of these people and was going to say goodbye to each and every one of them. The little girl nodded and her blonde banana curls bounced. She put her hand up in a salute and her face got serious.

"Yes sir uncle TJ." She said loudly. The whole terminal was laughing and Tony nodded in approval. He hugged her one last time. He knew that Cadet Gordon was being deployed to Fort Lewis right here in Washington. He was going to be completing his training and then getting deployed to a base in Baghdad. He prayed that the kid would come home alive. He moved on to the other families. Hugging and kissing babies, reassuring worried mothers, and saluting the younger soldiers. Once he was done he stood in front of them and raised his hand in one last salute. The soldiers saluted back and he smiled.

"Good luck soldiers. Get out of here." He said in his gruff CO voice. He watched as his friends and students packed up and left. He walked over to the team and smiled shyly. It had only been twenty five minutes but he didn't want to make them wait.

"Sorry, it's a ritual that I do with my cadets. Are we ready to head out?" Tony said while looking at the group of people. They nodded and Gibbs lifted the duffel onto his shoulder. Tony took off his beret and handed it to his sister. He ran a hand through his damp hair. Those berets were brutally hot.

"Can you hold this Nat? I'm getting hot, not that I already wasn't in the first place." Tony said with a wink. Natasha grinned and shook her head.

"You're such a player. Just shut up and go." She said with an easy smile. He nodded and she took the beret. He continued to limp out of the building. The cramps didn't subside when they made it to the SUV. He frowned at the small leg room in the back of the car. He looked at Gibbs.

"I need to sit in the very back. My legs are pretty long and I doubt that they'd fit back there. Is that okay with you?" Tony asked while looking at the trunk. Gibbs nodded and got into the car. He placed the worn duffel on his agent's legs. He gave Natasha the keys knowing her slower driving would help Tony's leg. The rest of the team crammed into the back while Tony opened the trunk. It was a large SUV and it was going to be hard for him to hop into it. He laid his cane against the back bumper and put his good leg in first. He scooted over and lifted his bad leg into the car. He grabbed his cane and pulled the trunk closed. He met his sister's worried eyes in the rear view mirror and nodded. She started the car and he massaged his leg. He rubbed it with his knuckles hoping it would loosen the tight muscles.

He was nervous though and that didn't help. He had been living on base away from civilization and getting into gun fights every other week for so long that he didn't know how to act. He was pretty uncomfortable with non military people. The civilians didn't know how hard it was. They always wanted to know about the war and how many people he's killed. They think it was easy and act like its normal to kill someone. But they don't jump when they hear trashcans being knocked over or reach for the imaginary gun on their side out of habit. When someone yells they don't automatically stiffen and salute. They don't dream about the dead men and woman they've served with. They dream about scary monsters and watch the unrealistic war movies. They don't realize that the men and women who serve face actual monsters. They look into the eyes of evil and shoot it down without fear. Tony must've got lost in his thoughts because he heard his sisters voice calling him. He shook himself out of his head and looked over to the team who was standing outside. They had opened the truck door and were standing in front of him calling his name. They were already at NCIS.

Wow, He didn't realize that he had been lost his in thoughts that long. He smiled reassuringly and grabbed his cane. He couldn't look into his older sisters worried eyes. He lowered his good leg down and then put his cane down. He pulled his bad leg onto the ground with a clenched jaw. The hand holding onto his cane was ivory and his teeth felt like they were going to shatter. His leg hurt like hell and that meant a lot coming from him. He had dragged himself through an Afghanistan desert with three bullet wounds. His CO that weighed fifty pounds more than him was on his back unconscious, as he crawled twenty miles to safety. It took three days without water and without a gun. He got shot in the shoulder, once in the foot, and another in the thigh. He almost lost his left foot from infection but continued on. He had almost lost half of the blood in his body and was somehow still conscious. The medics couldn't believe it. His CO slipped into a coma but woke up a month later. That's when he won the Bronze Star Medal. So when Tony DiNozzo says it hurts, it would probably send you into unconsciousness.

He walked toward the NCIS building slowly. Gibbs stayed behind him as if he was going to fall. His sister grabbed his free hand and Ducky looked at him worriedly. They made it into the building and Jimmy looked over to him.

"Um sir? Do, do you want me to get you a wheelchair? Your leg looks like it hurts." Jimmy said with a look towards Tony's leg. Tony smiled and nodded. He wasn't afraid to admit he needed help. A couple of years back he would refuse anyone's help. That Tony was afraid of being seen as weak but the new him could accept things. He had too. He had spent months in a wheelchair during recovery and was comfortable with them. He wanted to get back to the rangers and he couldn't slow down his recovery process. Jimmy ran to the supply closet closest to them and unfolded the wheelchair. He rolled it behind the tired man and nodded. Tony sat down and smacked the pale hands when Jimmy tried to push him. He smiled cockily and handed the kid his cane. Jimmy smiled nervously and took the heavy aid. Tony grabbed the wheels and expertly rolled himself into the elevator on two back wheels. Gibbs smirked while the rest watched on nervously. Gibbs lifted his hand and was about to smack the shorter man in the head when Tony caught his wrist. He pushed on the pressure point there and Gibbs hand tightened. Tony let it go and the team stared at him like he was insane. He shrugged and stared at them with a non descript expression. The team waited for their boss to yell.

"Show off." Gibbs said simply with a genuine smile. Tony nodded in agreement and rolled over Gibbs foot. Gibbs smiled dangerously and Tony continued to roll over his foot. Tony smiled innocently and continued wheeling back and forth. The team watched on in terror while Natasha sighed. She pressed the elevator button with a smile.

"Well this is going to be fun."

A/N I hope you enjoyed. Review, favorite and follow for more. Send me any suggestions if you'd like. Thanks to all who have/are serving.

2nd Authors note: I want Tony to be in a relationship with someone. You guys get to vote. I want it to be Gibbs, Abby, or Kate. I won't write sex scenes so don't expect that. I'm cool with guy on guy but I don't really like writing for Jimmy or Tim. I don't really connect with their characters and I would probably turn the dialogue to crap. Sorry to any Tim and Jimmy fans. Leave a review or PM with your suggestion! c:


	4. New Team

A/N Chapter 4! Keep all the reviews, favorites, and follows. To all who have Pm'd and review about the grammar and spelling in this story thank you! I'm glad that you find it readable because I work hard to make sure that mistakes are rare. Now to the story. Warning: Language. Thanks to all whom are/have served. c:

The team rode in the elevator to the bullpen. The sound of Tony's wheels gently running over the tip of Gibb's shoes keeping them all entertained. When the elevator finally made it to the bullpen Tony wheeled out first. He wheeled into the correct row of desks because he already memorized the blue prints. He liked to know where the exits were in every building. He isn't paranoid. He isn't.

He wheeled into the empty desk at the end. He lifted himself out of the wheelchair and onto the plush rolly chair. He grabbed his leg and lifted it onto the seat of his now empty wheelchair before the rest of the group rounded the corner. Kate took her seat behind her desk and Abby sat on the floor in front of it. Jimmy pulled chairs from the bullpen to the left for him and Ducky. McGee sat behind his desk that was to the right of Gibb's. Gibbs made sure everyone had a seat before taking his spot behind his own desk. They all sat down and waited for Tony to do something because he was in charge of the training. Tony looked at his cheap military-issued watch and sighed. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out an old leather wallet. He pointed to McGee silently and McGee froze in shock. He widened his eyes and made motions telling McGee to get his ass over here. McGee stood and walked over to the front of Tony's newly found desk hesitantly. Tony smiled and shrugged.

"I won't bite if you feed me. Here go get everyone some food." Tony said while throwing a hundred in front of him on the desk. Tim's eyes widened and Tony chuckled.

"Get me a lot. Cheeseburgers would be nice. Make sure to get those lovely ladies some tofu. Get whatever the rest of you guys want." Tony said while pointing to Kate's desk and his sister. Tim nodded and grabbed his jacket. He threw it over his shoulder and ran to the elevator. Kate looked at Tony in shock.

"How did you know I liked tofu?" Kate asked suspiciously. Tony laughed at her and pointed to the trash can.

"How could I not. You've got that trashcan filled with tofu wrappers. I mean if you like that stuff go ahead. I'd rather eat the freeze-dried dog food that the military gives us." Tony said with a grimace. Gibbs grunted in agreement and Natasha frowned. She walked over to her brother and smacked his arm playfully.

"I like tofu so shut up. Not all of us have giant arms that need over ten thousand calories in one meal." Natasha said with a smile. Tony nodded and his face showed mock hurt.

"Ya know that really hurts Nat. Your making me feel fat. It's only like six thousand calories, and that's when I'm working." Tony said with teary eyes. The team grinned. He could've been an amazing actor. That performance would've won him an Emmy.

"Whatever. I've got a dinner planned tonight. Me, Owen, and the kids are going. It's at Ricardo's. I called him and made sure they would have a table for us. He said to tell you he has your favorites ready." Natasha said with a gentle smile. Getting Tony back into normal life was hard. He had to acclimate to the civilian life during his rare breaks. She made sure not to push him because if she did he would close up and become an agoraphobic like last time. Some soldiers are fine when they come home, others might need a subtle nudge in the right direction. Ricardo's apple pie was the beginning of that small nudge.

Ricardo was one of their older friends. They've known him since they were fourteen because he offered them a job as dishwashers when their family was struggling. Ever since then they've ate there every time Tony got back from deployment. Ricardo was getting up there, at sixty five he was still working. He was a loud stubborn Italian. He screamed sometimes because he was deaf in one ear, caused by an IED. He had very strong opinions too, and always made them clear to his customers. He often said retirement is for bums and he was going to run his restaurant until he died. Ricardo was like their foster father in a messed up way and he was constantly calling to check up on Tony. Tony smiled; thinking of the older man has gotten him through some rough times. If Ricardo wasn't going to stop, neither was he.

"Yeah, we can go see Ricardo." Tony said with a tired smile. This entire week had been exhausting. He had to pack his small room into his duffel, say goodbye to his team and then come home. He was already in America but living on a base in Georgia with military officials was way different then living in Washington D.C surrounded by civilians. He always tried. He tried to give his sister some slack; he tried to be happy about being home but found it hard. He was already home with his team back at Fort Benning. Training soldiers and drinking his coffee was a normal Monday morning if he wasn't on deployment. His team had been his family for the last three years and now he's more than seven hundred miles away from them. He was Tony DiNozzo though. He was used to change, betrayal, emergencies, injuries, and anything life could throw at him. He had to stay strong for his sister and her family. He just kept thinking of his patient team. Natasha nodded and threw him a smile.

"I wanted to ask if you would mind if the team came along. It's your first night back and I understand if you don't want them there. I thought it'd be nice to offer though." Natasha said with a shy smile. Tony nodded and smiled.

"Yeah that'd be great. We need some team bonding anyway. Where the hell is that kid? My stomach's about to eat itself." Tony said with a genuine smile. He wanted to meet the team more. Owen and Natasha wouldn't be worrying over him too much with so many guests. He wouldn't have to be constantly talking either. At least the NCIS team could keep his family occupied. His nieces and nephews were going to freak out like they did every time but that was okay. They didn't ask complicated questions about the war. All they said was 'did you get the bad guys uncle TJ?' He would always answer yes because it was true. He's never failed a mission and yeah, sometimes things went wrong but the target was always taken out. His thoughts were interrupted when that McGee kid walked in covered in fast food bags. He grinned and stood up to prevent the bags from falling. Just as one drink fell from the pale elbow it was balanced on he jumped down on his back and caught it. His hip was okay. He made sure to land good leg first so his hip wouldn't be jostled. He stayed on his back in the middle of the bullpen. It felt nice on his hip to stretch out and the carpet was surprisingly soft.

McGee gave the appropriate bags to the rightful owners and looked over to Tony. He was still lying on the floor staring at the ceiling. He wasn't zoned out like in the trunk but completely exhausted. The team looked over to the comfortable man with worried and amused expressions. Tony made grabby hands toward the bags he knew were his and McGee handed them to him slowly. Tony sat up easily and shook off his dress blues. He was wearing a white t-shirt underneath it and Abby could count his abs from her vantage point. Everyone's eyes widened because he was fitter than they thought. Natasha had never seen her brother that muscular and was positive her husband was going to be jealous. Tony was oblivious to the audience as he propped himself up against McGee's desk. He took his blue award-ridden jacket and folded it neatly. He laid it on McGee's desk as if he was handling a newborn, then he took off the white t-shirt. His white wife beater showed more skin and Abby was practically growling, ready to catch her prey. He bundled the white t-shirt up and shoved it under his leg. He sighed in content as he dug into the brown grease stained bag. He grabbed a large cheeseburger and unwrapped the foil eagerly, a grin plastered on his face. He grinned at the half pound burger that was dripping various condiments and slimy burger grease. He took a bite and groaned in obnoxious delight. He looked over to McGee with a mouth full of burger.

"Wou are a gwod." He said with a mouthful of burger. Tim was pretty sure he said 'you are a god' but he didn't read into it and accepted the praise. Natasha and Kate were glaring at the disgusting burger with sharp eyes. Abby was digging into her own half pound grease patty. Her manners were as bad as Tony's and he was amazed. That small petite goth was slamming a burger the size of her head as fast as he was. He grinned and wiped his mouth with the cheap rough napkin. He had a fourth of the burger left and wasn't giving up on it yet. Abby had the same amount and he stared at her with a challenging smirk. She smirked back.

"Race?" They said in unison. They both grabbed their remaining burger and shoved it into their mouths as fast as they could. He just imagined that he was just in a gun fight and needed calories to keep his energy up. Without energy he couldn't keep his soldiers safe. It was a pretty effective motivator. Abby just imagined someone holding Bert at gunpoint. Tony finished first but Abby was finished three seconds after him. He was thoroughly impressed because some of the larger men at his base couldn't beat him. He grinned and grabbed the soda that McGee had dropped earlier. He chugged it down and felt himself get tired. A full stomach was never a good thing unless you had adrenaline to back you up. He sighed and watched as Abby's eyes started drooping. They were full and comfy. Tony slid down the front of the desk and closed his eyes. Tony passed out first and Abby grinned. Her eyes opened immediately and she was instantly perky. The team's mouths dropped and she grinned.

"He's too polite to fall asleep on his own. I thought that if he thought I was going to sleep he would too. Monkey see monkey do. The others monkeys wait until someone else eats the red berries until they try the red berries themselves. It's a pretty basic concept guys. He was exhausted. His leg and that plane ride probably sucked so I just encouraged it. Your welcome." Abby said with a smile. She grabbed her thick cardigan and balled it up. She winked over to Kate and lay down next to the hunk of unconscious muscle. She wrapped her arm around herself knowing that people in Tony's profession could be jumpy and if she touched him he might attack on accident. She was surprised when he turned quickly and opened his eyes. The emerald bulbs opened slowly and the team froze. His eyes were half covered in his droopy lid so he might not be completely conscious. Gibbs was about to tell Abby to get back when Tony smiled softly. He wrapped an arm around her small waist and shifted his hip into a different position. She stayed still, afraid of waking him and ruining this amazing moment. He sighed in unconscious contentment and small snores blew into her cheek. His breath smelt like fresh mint so he must have popped in a tick tack when she wasn't paying attention. She snuggled closer to him and soaked in the embrace. It wasn't too romantic. Sleeping on the floor of your work, a government building, was a little weird but that's who Abby is. She _is_ the definition of weird. She closed her eyes and felt the comforting darkness overcome her. She felt Kate's, probably, jealous eyes on her back. She also felt the warm heavy biceps holding her and the strong steady heartbeat that accompanied it.

The team stayed silent as the two slept on the ground. They worked on the extra paperwork that always seems to accumulate and looked over cold cases. Gibbs knew that Kate and Abby were both interested in the soldier. He approved of him so far so they could continue this odd threesome that consisted of flirting, fast eating, and cuddling. He knew both women were strong and could make their own decisions. He didn't want a guy to ruin the friendship they've had for so long, No matter how eligible that particular guy was. He kept stealing glances at the two unconscious people on the ground. He made sure that none of the accidental (Maybe intentional in Abby's case) touching was inappropriate for the work place. He also made sure to note the small smile that was constantly on Abby's lips during her light slumber.

It was an hour and a half before dinner and they all needed to get ready. Abby was still engulfed in Tony's big long arms, blissfully unconscious. Gibbs stood and tapped Abby's shoulder gently. Her eyes opened and she smiled over to the sleeping giant that was her pillow for the last two hours. He was in a deep sleep and she made sure to put her jacket where her body was when she slipped out. His eyes still opened and she cursed the immaculate ranger training. He smiled drowsily and blinked away the sleep in his emerald eyes. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked better than before. The small circles under his eyes were subsiding and the overall pigment of his skin looked less pale. He reached blindly for the edge of the desk and pulled himself into a sitting position. He cringed. His leg was stiff from laying on it for so long. He didn't care about self image so he ground his knuckles into the tight muscles. They loosened a bit and the cramps were gone. He grinned at all the worried glances he was receiving.

"Okay guys, I know my bed head isn't the best but please stop staring..." Tony said with a hand through his hair. His hair was perfect because of the amount of gel in it and he knew it. He just wanted to stop the pity, it was overwhelming and he was going to burst if it kept up. He had finally been able to grow his hair out; it was three inches longer because of his silver tongue and puppy dog's eyes that he directed towards his CO's. He refused to cut it if he was basically a civilian on base because of his injuries. Luckily he got his way with little struggle.

"Hey? Did you bring any other clothes? Do you even have any other clothes?" Natasha asked worriedly. Tony nodded like the answer was obvious.

"Yeah. I'm friends with Dolores in laundry and she always gives me extra t-shirts." Tony said with a fond smile. The older woman was a fighter pilot twenty years ago and she was still with the army. He then thought of his team. He looked down at the large bulky watch quickly.

"Hold your thoughts. Which one of you is the geek of the group?" Tony asked with a serious voice. Tim raised his hand slowly and Tony grinned.

"I could've guessed. I need a secure computer with a webcam. I need the largest computer screen you have in fifteen minutes." Tony said with a frown towards his watch. Tim nodded and looked towards his boss.

"Should we set him up in MTAC?" McGee said hesitantly. Gibbs nodded and stood. He walked towards the large room with the others in tow. He walked through the door quickly and pointed to a computer tech wearing a headset.

"Do whatever Agent McGee asks of you." Gibbs said gruffly. Tony finally limped in with Abby and Natasha. He was still using his cane considering his tight muscles but didn't think it was bad enough for the chair, which was now abandoned in the bullpen. McGee started telling Fred, the computer tech, to hook it up to Skype. It wasn't a difficult process and the advanced wifi made it go ten times faster. The login page popped up and Tony walked over to the keyboard. He typed in his email, Tony-DiNozzo-Hero-of-misfits at Yahoo dot com. His soldiers had made it for him because he isn't very fond of technology. He knows how to operate it but prefers to pass the job off to someone else. He had laughed when he read the name and loved his soldiers that much more. He felt the questioning glances on his back but ignored it, he typed in the military issued password. He waited for the call and smiled when it was right on time. Fred clicked the accept button and sixteen faces crowded the screen.

"SIR!" The group exclaimed excitedly. Tony smiled and sat down in one of the large chairs. The team took seats too, not wanting to interrupt the chat.

"What's up guys? How have you been?" Tony asked genuinely. He noticed Charlie 'Jett' Simmons black eye that was covered in cheap foundation and frowned.

"JETT!" He yelled in his CO voice. The man that was one year older than him snapped to attention. When one of his soldiers was hurt he got pissed. He didn't notice the fact that everyone in the room jumped but Ducky and Gibbs.

"Who the hell hit you now?" Tony asked gruffly. Jett was an odd character and was often picked on by the bigger men. He was the newest cadet to the group so Tony was extra protective. Jett could hold his own in combat though. He was a tough ass man and he has saved his fellow soldiers more than once.

"It was Justin Mason sir. I'm fine an-"Tony interrupted the long apology.

"SILENT." He said gruffly, the whole room became quiet. He looked at BJ, one of his most trusted soldiers and frowned.

"BJ, go grab the prick." Tony said gruffly. Bobby nodded and he waited. Gibbs looked over to him and smirked.

"Just wait. This dick is gonna get it." Tony whispered with a clenched jaw. Five minutes later BJ walked in with the man. He was big and bulky. He looked mean and his eyes were cold. Tony smiled calmly.

"Hello CADET Mason." He said with emphasis on the cadet part, clearly showing that he was higher up in the ranks. The cadet stood in a tight salute and Tony frowned.

"At ease…So you're the one who's been throwing punches around?" Tony asked casually. Mason looked down and frowned.

"H-"Tony didn't let him utter another syllable. He glared, his hand clenched over his pained leg.

"I WANT A YES OR A NO." Tony growled out. Cadet Mason nodded frantically and looked into the webcam.

"Yes sir. I punched him." He said softly. Tony nodded and scratched his head.

"Do I need to make you repeat the Ranger Creed? You have obviously lost sight of what it means to be in the seventy-fifth regiment." Tony asked sternly. Cadet Mason shook his head and frowned.

"No sir." He said simply. Sergeant DiNozzo was not someone to mess around with. He looked out for everyone in the seventy-fifth regiment but protected his platoon fiercely. Tony nodded thoughtfully and frowned.

"I could always call your CO. Me and Jeff are buddies. We're close. Like I'm-the-legal-guardian-of-his-children-if-him-and-his-wife-pass-away-close. I could tell him what kind of trouble maker you are and I'm sure he'd find some form of punishment. Would you like that Cadet Mason?" Tony asked seriously. Cadet Mason shook his head.

"No sir."

"I want you to repeat the creed. I expect a pushup with every word. You have been a disgrace to the regiment. Get over your childish tendencies and buck up. That's two hundred and thirty eight words Cadet. I expect you to get started now. You make one more mistake and I'll come over there and shove this cane up your ass. Do I make myself clear?" Tony asked gruffly. Cadet Mason nodded and dropped where he was. Tony heard the muffled words of the creed and was satisfied with himself.

"So hotshot? How's the team been behaving?" Tony asked knowing she would tell him the truth and nothing but. She smiled and nodded.

"Other than Cadet Mason everyone's been fine. I stabbed myself with a fork three days ago. My thumb hurts but I'll be okay sir. How have you been?" Faith said softly. Tony shook his head and laughed. She was a klutz.

"I'm doing alright. The plane was a bitch but my leg straightened out. I've got some more people to train. The group behind me, excluding Nat, is my next batch of prodigies." Tony said with a nod behind him. Faith smiled and nodded. Danny looked at the webcam.

"Permission to speak sir?" Danny said with a plain expression. Tony nodded his approval and Danny relaxed.

"I would like to inform you that hotshot's newest injury looks like a squirrel in a parachute sir." Danny said with a cheeky grin. Tony smiled and shook his head.

"Any objections?" Tony asked. Three of his 'prodigies' raised their hands. Fiona Kring, Cody Gilbert, and Derek Danforth obviously thought the fresh scar looked like something else.

"Danforth." He said simply. Derek nodded and smiled timidly.

"I think it looks like a baby elephant holding a bottle of nail polish sir." Derek said with a small smile. Tony grinned. This was a game they made up on Faith's fifth injury. They were always minor and never happened in combat but it was entertaining to find different things in her scar tissue. It made her clumsiness less of an awkward situation.

"Kring." He said while looking at Fiona. She nodded and smiled.

"It's good to see you sir. I think that it looks like a Popsicle inside of a stiletto." Fiona said with a smile. Tony nodded and continued on.

"It's nice to see you too Fi. Gilbert." Tony said with a smile towards Fiona. He looked over to the shorter man.

"I personally think it looks like a cricket holding a unicycle. I hope your leg is doing better sir." Cody said softly. Tony nodded and laughed. He looked down at his leg and shrugged.

"Thanks, It'll get there. Is Mason done?" Tony said with a look towards BJ. He heard a muffled yes and watched as the sweaty man stood up.

"I have finished sir."Cadet Mason said with tired sigh. Sweat lined his armpits and the collar of his plain gray t-shirt. Tony nodded and stood up. He grabbed his cane and smiled.

"Well I guess this won't be traveling where the sun don't shine today." Tony said with a disappointed frown, Cadet Mason swallowed nervously. "If I hear about anymore of this I will personally file a complaint and beat the fuck out of ya. You don't touch anyone unless their pointing a gun in your face. Do you understand Cadet Mason?" Tony asked loudly. Cadet Mason shook his head furiously.

"Yes sir. I understand Sergeant DiNozzo. I would like to apologize for being childish." Cadet Mason said with a salute. Tony nodded and watched as Cadet Mason apologized to Jett. Tony heard the muffled apology and smiled to himself. He looked into the webcam and it seemed that he was looking right into Cadet Mason's eyes.

"Scram." He said gruffly. The Cadet nodded with one final salute and fumbled with the door. Once he was out in the hallway Tony looked at Jett with concern.

"Ya gonna be okay Jett?" Tony said softly. Jett smiled softly and nodded.

"Yes, thank you sir." Jett said calmly. Tony nodded and grinned. He started to chuckled and it turned into full fledged hysterics. He was bent over, leaning heavily on his leg. He couldn't stop. The look on Cadet Mason's face was hilarious.

"Jimmy? Get me a chair or something?" He asked while leaning heavily on the large desk holding several monitors. Jimmy nodded and pushed a rolly chair to him. He nodded his thanks and looked at his team who were smiling worriedly on the screen.

"That was fun." He said towards his team. They nodded, amusement in their eyes, and BJ laughed roughly.

"It was very amusing sir. I don't know if you could see it through the webcam but he almost pissed himself." Bobby said with a grin. Tony nodded and looked at his team. He smiled genuinely and checked his watch.

"You guys need to go eat. Its pie day right? Yeah it is. Make sure to mention my name around Cindy. She'll give you guys some extra pie and some of her hidden powdered sugar. Just for today though. I can't be getting you guy's out-of-shape." Tony said with a grin. Annabelle grinned and high fived Chase. Tony nodded and smiled.

"Well I've got to go. I'm starving and I'm sure you guys are too. I'll see ya'll later. Be safe." Tony said with a wave. The team nodded and waved back. They never said goodbye because goodbye meant things they didn't want to think about. Fred cut the connection and Tony sighed. He was missing his family. He smiled and stood up shakily. Jimmy reached out to help and he smacked it away gently.

"Get the chair." He growled out with a hand on his hip. He was worried about his family, his job, and civilian life. His leg was suffering because of it. He sighed and tried to relax a little more. It didn't work because it never does. Whenever he's away from his team he gets a type of separation anxiety. The only things running through his mind are the worst possible situations. A bomb on base, someone getting deathly sick and him not being there to help, someone getting shot during training. The list went on and on. He lowered himself into the offered wheelchair with a grunt. He rolled around and was met with the worried faces of his new team.

He really didn't want a new team.

A/N Sorry for the late update, I've got MAJOR computer problems and my health has been a little shaky. I assure you I'll be alive long enough to finish this story! (Guys calm down, it's not that bad.)This is a filler. It's mostly fluff with some drama but it still counts as a chapter. Nat's family will be met in the next chapter and Tony's struggles will continue on. It may seem drawn out but I imagined coming back to normal life after struggling for so long. You wouldn't be able to recover quickly so I'm taking it slow. Thanks to all whom are/have served in the military. Review, favorite, and follow. c:

Second A/N: Don't read into any of the relationships so far. Those of you who have reviewed and told me to warn about slash need to calm down. I haven't written anything even close to sexual (Other than Abby's perverted thoughts) so chill; I'll warn you when I write anything consisting of man/on man... Thanks to anyone who sent me there votes, I have decided but the relationship won't even blossom until a couple of chapters. So thanks to anyone who sent me their vote, as it helped dramatically. Most of them have been Abby and Gibbs so it_ will_ be one of them. c:

I have gotten a couple of PM's from an Army Ranger himself (not sure if he'll appreciate his name being blurted out on here) and he's explained alot to me. Without his help this wouldn't be as accurate, so thanks to him. I want to dedicate this story to him, the millitary, and my family who also served. God Bless.


	5. Tony's Demons

A/N Chapter five! You guys rock! Keep all the reviews, favorites, and follows coming. Warning: Language, mentions of PTSD. c:

He rolled past the team quickly, trying to press down his raging emotions. He thought about the upcoming dinner. He didn't have any other clothes that weren't covered in camouflage, tank oil, sweat, or awards. He rolled into the bullpen and turned around easily. He looked up at his sister.

"I need some clothes?" Tony said softly. She smiled and nodded. She always had a full wardrobe ready for her brother in her spare closet. Most of the time Tony would refuse but he was probably tired and didn't want to go shopping when his hip was this bad. She was an avid shopper and this time she had enlisted the help of her fourteen year old daughter Sophia. She reached for her phone and dialed her hubby.

"Hello?" Owen said into the phone softly. Natasha smiled.

"Hey it's me. Do you think you could get the kids ready a little earlier and bring some of Tony's clothes? Maybe some loose jeans and a dress shirt?" Natasha asked into the phone. Her husband worked at home as a graphic designer. He had a privileged childhood and got to go to the best schools; practically the complete opposite of Tony and Natasha. Natasha met him when she was nineteen at a coffee shop. He was twenty three and they fell in love fast. They dated for a year and she got married at twenty. They were young kids in love and they moved quickly. She had her first kid a couple of months later, Sophia Jade DiNozzo. When Sophia was two they had their second child Ryder Elisha DiNozzo. A year later they had their last kid, Anthony Bryce DiNozzo. She named her last child after her brother and father. They are both noble men and she wanted to make sure the family name carried on.

Her children are obsessed with uncle TJ. They know not to prod and poke for information about his job now that their older. Sophia is always making him eat more vegetables and take whatever pain killers he'd been prescribed that month. Ryder was always making sure Tony didn't get depressed. He was always dragging him outside to play basketball or whatever sport he was able to play with his specific injury. Anthony was always making Tony laugh. He had inherited his uncle's humor and Tony thought the kid was hilarious. The others didn't; especially when the joke involved putting plastic wrap on the toilet seats or hot sauce in the ketchup.

Once her husband hung up she turned toward Tony, except he wasn't here. The team was chatting and Tony had gone to the bathroom. She was worried. She kept imagining scenarios where he fell from the toilet and hurt his hip more or worse. She calmed down and tried to remind herself that he was getting better. The bone and muscle were weak and they needed time to heal properly, to strengthen. She thought back to that horrible day.

_She was at her studio when she got the call. She was training ten to twelve year olds for their upcoming karate tournament when her phone rang. She looked towards the children and smiled._

"_I'll be right back." She said as she reached for the phone that was lying on a nearby bench. She frowned at the number. It was the one that the military gave her to get updates on Tony. She tensed and her heart raced. She flipped the phone open and covered her other ear._

"_Hello?" Natasha asked worriedly. She reminded herself, it could be Tony coming back from a mission, but her gut was churning and that wasn't reassuring. _

"_Is this Natasha DiNozzo?" Dr. O'Hara said softly. He was tired. He had just completed a successful ten hour surgery. It was difficult but he had hopefully saved a life._

"_Yeah who is this? I-is it TJ? Is he okay?" She said softly. Her eyes were tearing up and her blood pressure shot through the roof._

"_I'm Dr. O'Hara. It would be better if you sat down for this conversation Mrs. DiNozzo." He said carefully. Natasha nodded to no one in particular and went into the locker room, three feet in front of her. She sat down on one of the cold metal benches and remembered when Tony had assembled them for her. She ran a hand down the bench worriedly and cleared her tight throat._

"_I-I'm sitting. It's TJ….I-Is he…Is he alive?" She asked with her hand on the cross around her neck. Her knuckles were white and the cross was cutting her sweaty flesh._

"_He's stable for now. Your brother was involved in an assassination attempt ten hours ago. He was shot in the hip with a high caliber shot gun. We believe it was a twelve gage. The bullet slid past his hip but not before hitting it. His right hip was shattered tremendously. It hit a major blood vessel and he lost a lot of blood. His team was in Iraq when this incident occurred. I just finished sewing him up twenty minutes ago. If he makes it through the night his chances of survival will raise forty percent." Dr. O'Hara said gently. Natasha nodded. He was okay. He was going to be okay at least. Her little brother, the one she was told to protect, was going to be okay. She smiled. DiNozzo's didn't do percentages. As long as he had one single percent on his side he was going to make it. She let go of her cross and wiped the warm blood on her black yoga pants._

"_Where is he now?" Natasha asked softly. She hoped he was in America. He deserved the best medical care money could buy._

"_He's still in Iraq. He'll be transported in a week or two. I would advise you to stay in America and plan his recovery. TJ has his team practically attached to him. He's getting great medical care as of now. I must warn you. TJ…He might not be able to walk again." Dr. O'Hara said grimly. He heard Natasha's pained gasp on the other end and held back his emotions. No matter how much experience he had, telling a loved one bad news was the worst thing._

_Natasha let a tear slip out of her mascara covered lids. If he couldn't walk he wouldn't be able to fight. If he wasn't able to fight he would go down fast. No amount of practical jokes could make him feel better. Tony was obviously loyal to his country, but after Nine-Eleven everything changed. He became obsessed with the war. Once his father was pronounced dead he went back to the battle field and killed as many fuckers as he could. He was so blind in his sheet of rage that he never really grieved. He thought that killing those people would make things better. It made him feel better – for the safety of his country – but it didn't bring his father back. Natasha had to grieve alone. She knew her brother had his methods; he was the one that found their mother so many years ago. So Natasha let him go. She worried about her brother constantly and now that he was hurt once again the horrible feeling of hopelessness was a constant in her mind. It was her fault that he was hurt. If she would've stopped him from going he wouldn't have gotten shot. She knew it was ridiculous. He was a grown man and he could take care of himself. Couldn't he?_

She shook herself out of the dreadful memory. She wouldn't think about that when he was _finally_ home. She smiled over to the team and watched as her brother wheeled himself out of the bathroom. He rolled to the front of her and smiled.

"Is Owen coming?" Tony asked softly. He didn't like the man at first but they grew on each other. Owen was older than him so he considered Tony the annoying little brother. Once they got over their selves they began to know each other. Of course it was after Tony made some death threats if he were to hurt a certain little woman with golden hair.

"Yeah he's bringing some of the new clothes me and Sophia picked out. I texted Ricardo and told him we were going to be running a little late. He's used to it by now though." Natasha said with a smile. She grabbed the back of her brother's wheelchair and started to push. He tried to turn and smack her hands away but she dodged him with crisp reflexes.

"Let me go Nat." He said tiredly. He was kind of grateful for it. His arms were tired. Sure they were muscular and he did use a wheelchair for the first couple of months but he hasn't used one in a while. It was working out the muscles he had forgotten about. Wheelchairs took a lot of work. Your shoulders throbbed and your hands ached after a long stroll, even if you _were_ used to it. Natasha smiled softly.

"You're tired and Owen is going to be pulling up with the kids soon. I want to push you." Natasha declared sternly. Tony sighed and closed his eyes. He was sleepy. It had been an exhausting week and he could pass out right here. The small vibration of the worn tires on the asphalt didn't help his drooping eye lids. The comfortable cushion underneath him didn't help his mind remember the hip that was slowly throbbing, he felt himself succumb to the darkness before he knew it.

The team followed Natasha too the elevator. They had been chatting about what they could and couldn't do physical wise when they noticed Tony falling asleep. His head was propped back on the cushion and his hands were wrapped around himself. He was looking at the bottom of his sister's chin when his eyes started to droop. When they finally closed the team smiled. His snores sounded like a baby goat.

Natasha had her husband rent a handicap capable van. Tony's team had warned her about him having bad days. Like when he's stressed or it's raining so she made sure he was going to be comfortable. The plus side of having a large van was the size. The whole NCIS team plus her family could fit into the large metal contraption.

When the specific van pulled up she smiled. Her children were looking out of the window happily. Owen had a sad smile on his face when he noticed the sleeping man in front of his wife. Natasha looked at her kids through the window and held her index finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet. They nodded and Sophia slid the door open. She jumped out of the van and hugged her mom. She released her mother from the death grip and looked down at her uncle. She smiled and made sure to keep her distance. If she wanted to wake him she could tickle his foot or put a feather near his nose. She couldn't touch his shoulder or jump on him because she would probably end up in an accidental choke hold.

Sophia is tall for her age. She's five foot six and has a slim build. Her chocolaty brown hair is naturally curly and down to her elbows. She has bright green eyes like her mom and uncle. Her brother Ryder is five foot four. His eyes are dark chestnut like his fathers. He has sandy blonde hair and a nose identical to his uncle. Anthony or Bryce when his uncle's around is five foot one. He has dark black hair like his father and bright blue eyes unique to only him.

The rest of the men got out of the van. Owen smiled over to his wife and kissed his cheek. He was mindful of the sleeping man next to him when he bent over and pecked the familiar cheek. He laughed silently at the small noise escaping his brother-in-law's lips. Everyone stayed quiet while they exchanged greetings. Abby and Ryder hit it off immediately while Sophia and Kate clicked. Bryce waited for his uncle to wake up because he was the funniest adult in the group.

Sophia looked down at her uncle and smiled. She reached into her jean pocket and pulled out a big green feather. She pointed to her uncle and her mother nodded with a smile. Sophia rubbed the feather up and down her uncle's face while holding in a laugh. When he uncle grabbed the feather in mid air and threw it towards the ground she smiled. She bought a giant pack of them just for this reason. Her uncle's eyes opened and he grinned.

"Sophie!" Tony said with a genuine grin. He grabbed her and pulled her down to his level in a full-fledged bear hug. She smiled and groaned dramatically, trying to ignore the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Could your arms be any heavier?" She asked with a poke to his bicep. He nodded and released her. He pointed over to the two boys. They came over hesitantly, not wanting to hurt their beloved uncle. Bryce bent down first. He hugged his uncle with a grin and teary blue eyes.

"I'm glad your back uncle TJ." He whispered into the tan ear. Tony smiled and nodded. He released his youngest nephew and Ryder walked up. Tony grabbed him too and pulled him into a hug. Ryder fought against the emotions. He was a man, not a girl like Sophie. He wanted to be a tough guy like his uncle. He wanted to be able to protect people and get the bad guys when necessary. He wanted to be strong and funny. He wanted to _be _Uncle TJ. He released his uncle and smiled.

"I'm glad your home." He said softly. The NCIS team was having trouble holding in their emotions. Kate was wiping tears from her lids so her mascara wouldn't run down her face. Ducky had a huge grin on his face and unashamed tears in his wise eyes. Gibbs had a small smile on his face but other than that he was as stable as always; but the look in his eyes said something different. He looked proud and that was something only Tony and Abby could bring to his eyes. Abby was balling her eyes out. Dark mascara and eye shadow made a unique map down her pale face. She was holding in the wails for the family's sake but she just wanted to scream in happiness. McGee had tears in his eyes and was constantly looking at the ground when one of the family members made eye contact. Jimmy was grinning like a mad man as he watched the group with blurry vision.

Owen came up to Tony last. He held out his hand and Tony shook it strongly. Owen grinned and nodded.

"Thank you. I'm glad your back." Owen said with a smile. Tony nodded and looked over to the awkward NCIS team. They were all trying to wipe tears and avoid eye contact so hard it was amusing. He chuckled and pointed to the team.

"Let's go to dinner before this get's any weirder." Tony said with a smile. He grabbed his smallest nephew quickly and placed him on his good leg. He pointed his muscular arm towards the van and his expression became serious.

"ONWARD!" He practically screamed to the delight of his nephew. Everyone else had amused expressions but his nephew was bouncing in delight. His sister pushed him up onto the ramp while his nephew grinned. Once he was in the van his sister maneuvered around her son to tie the wheel chair into the safety straps. It effectively restrained Tony's antics to the far left corner and she was even more impressed by this van. She gave her son a glare and pointed toward a spot with a seatbelt. He grumbled but sat down. Abby sat down on the floor next to Tony and Kate sat down next to her. Owen took the front passenger seat knowing his wife liked to drive. Gibbs and Ducky sat on the seats directly in front of Tony while McGee and Jimmy sat down on the floor near the children's seats. Once everyone was situated Natasha started the car. She turned on Metallica but made sure to keep the volume low, hoping her brother would catch some sleep on the two hour car ride.

Sure enough Tony passed out. His head fell onto his chest and his hands wrapped around midsection, making him look like he was hugging himself. His mouth was slightly open and small goat sounds were drifting out. His hair was disheveled, the hair gel was obviously worn out and he had a small, blonde afro. His leg was trembling and everyone noticed. The tight muscles kept contracting and they could tell it hurt like hell. Tony was sleeping lightly. With every passing pothole his eyes would open drowsily before succumbing to sleep once more. Gibbs noticed the small sheet of sweat covering the tan forehead and frowned.

"Does he have a fever or is he in that much pain?" Gibbs asked softly. Natasha looked back at her brother worriedly. She could see through the rear view mirror he wasn't well. Maybe he was getting sick? Maybe it was just his leg cramping ruthlessly, making him shake and sweat in pain while unconscious. She didn't know but she needed to make sure he was okay. She was his big sister after all. She looked back at her daughter.

"Honey? Would you give Gibb's a feather so he can check Uncle TJ's temperature?" Natasha asked softly. Sophia nodded and dug around in her pocket. She pulled out one of the many feathers and handed it to the older man. Gibbs smiled his thanks and stood up. He crouched down in front of Tony and touched the base of his nose with the feather. Tony groaned and shifted his head to his other shoulder. Gibbs smiled and shook his head.

"Come on TJ. Wake up." Gibbs said sternly. Tony's glassy eyes opened and he sighed. He rubbed his eyes and frowned.

"Pie?" He said tiredly. Gibbs shook his head in amusement and put his hand on Tony's head. Tony groaned dramatically and looked at Gibbs.

"Nat? When did you go gray and turn into a man?" Tony said with a confused glance. Everyone cracked a smile at that jab and Gibbs lifted his hand.

"You don't have a fever. Do you have any pain meds?" Gibbs asked gruffly. Tony shrugged and grabbed the feather out of Gibbs light hold. He looked over to his niece with mock hurt.

"I can't believe you would give this man my most hated weapon?" Tony said with wide eyes and a point to the feather. The children laughed while the adults shook their heads in amusement. Tony rolled down the window and threw the feather out knowing his niece had plenty more. He looked over at her, his CO face in place lightly.

"Do you have a permit for such a dangerous weapon?" Tony asked with mock seriousness. Sophia played along and looked at the ground in mock guilt. Tony nodded knowingly.

"I knew it. I'm going to have to confiscate all of your pie. I'm sorry but it's the law." Tony said with a grim look. Sophia laughed and shook her head.

"If you can travel at the speed of sound then be my guest, but _my_ pie is going to be the first thing off _my_ plate." Sophia said seriously. She was very defensive of her pie; it was Ricardo's secret recipe. Tony grinned and nodded.

"Okay. Calm down m'am. I'll give you a warning." Tony said with his calloused hands up in the universal sign of surrender. She nodded in approval and grinned.

"We would've won an Emmy." They said in unison. The entire group laughed. Sophia must have inherited her uncle's ability to act. Sophia kept quiet so her uncle could go back asleep, he did look extremely pale and tired. She was worried. Her uncle was always the tough one in her family. Her dad was alright but he was a graphic designer, not a war hero. Her uncle was always the rock, he always kept everything running smoothly and stable. She needed her uncle to be alright. They all did.

Tony fell back asleep easily. He prayed that he wouldn't have any nightmares in front of his niece and nephews. He didn't want to scare them, but it's not like they haven't seen it before. He remembered one of the worst ones.

_He had just gotten back from Afghanistan and he was taking shelter at his sister's house for a month until he had to go back. He was shot in the shoulder, it was a little flesh wound, but the medic's sent him on medical leave. He thought it was crap. He needed to be out there, leading younger cadets and following orders. He needed to help. Some of those kids were only in their early twenties and they were never going to go home again. He thought it was noble to join the military. He joined very young; he lied about his age because he could. He looked like he could've been eighteen but in reality he was sixteen. He needed to help out his family economically. His father was getting laid off constantly and his sister was working as a coffee barista to make ends meet. He had a job at the local pool as a life guard but it paid two dollars an hour at the most. He needed to help his family so he did._

_He had his buddy, a computer whiz, make some fake birth records and he was set. He joined the army in hopes of helping his family and his country. He worked his way through the ranks easily. Apparently he was a natural born shooter. He had never touched a gun before his first course but he shot the bulls-eye head on, on the first try._

_So he worked and he fought and he attended funerals and he fought harder. He continued going through each rank pretty quickly. Then his father was dead and he was sent to Afghanistan. He fought his heart out. He was understandably pissed. They came into his country and killed his father and a lot of other innocents. It was sick and he knew that. He fought and he fought and then he got shot in the shoulder by an Afghani kid with a gun. He disarmed the child of his weapon before knocking him out with the butt of his gun. He continued to fight as blood pulled down his shoulder. He hoped it was just a scratch but the large puddle in his camo was becoming larger with each bullet he shot. He tried not to jostle his shoulder but it was so dusty and he was getting woozy. He sat down and shot one more man before passing out onto the dry Afghani dust._

_He woke up in the US at a hospital near his sister's home. His sister, Owen, and his niece and nephews were waiting for him by his bedside. He saw relieved smiles and small tears before he felt his own eyes fall. He only stayed awake for a brief moment before succumbing to the inevitable darkness._

_He dreamt of the horrible things he had witnessed. The Afghani child's frightened eyes before the boy pulled the trigger and he was shot in the shoulder. The news coverage of Nine-Eleven, when he watched in silence as his father's office fell into a pile of ruble that he would forever be lost in. When his best friend – Captain Seeley Williams, died in his arms as he watched the man's pale eyes go blank. The eyes of the people he's killed. Every single one of them flashed through his closed lids before he could awake. _

_When he woke he was gasping for breath and his family was in a far corner. The larger nurses were holding him down and his family was frightened and teary eyed. Just like that child in Afghanistan. He caught his breath before collapsing into the small hospital bed out of exhaustion._

_He never wanted to see that look in his family's eyes again. Natasha told him he was just screaming and yelling; that he didn't hurt anyone. He was glad that he just scared them. If he would've hurt any of them he would've hated himself forever. He would've moved as far away as he could and hide out until he was sure the nightmares would be gone. The problem was the nightmares never ended. He has to suffer every other night for his country and he wouldn't have it any other way._

The group was about a half an hour away from Ricardo's when Tony started shaking. It wasn't a slight shivering either. He was vibrating the floor underneath him. Natasha looked back worriedly and Gibbs stood up in alarm. Tony started muttering broken vowels. Then he started muttering 'no' and 'don't do it' over and over. Natasha pulled over to the side of the road, right beside the bright I-45 road sign. She turned on her emergency blinkers and unbuckled her seat belt. She got her kids to the front of the van silently and slid them out onto the side of the road. She didn't want them to see their beloved uncle so broken, so scared.

Gibbs has had some of these himself; Flashbacks of war or his friends that died in the line of fire. It was all too real to the specific person. It was like being back, back in the middle of everything. Everything you wanted to forget.

A/N I'm cutting it here. Review, favorite, and follow! This isn't checked over as much as I usual do so it might have some more spelling mistakes that usual. c: Thanks to all those who have/are serving.


	6. Gibbs and Tony - nightmares

A/N Chapter 6! Review, Favorite, and Follow! Thanks to all the great Review, Favorites, and Follows! I'm sorry I can't respond to all the guest reviews but there super sweet and I love you all! Warning: language, war, PTSD, and nightmares. Thanks to all who is/have served!

Once the children were out of danger on the side of the road with Owen, Natasha came back in. She shut the van door lightly, not wanting to startle her brother. She had to hold her raging emotions. She just wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay, but she couldn't. If she were to startle him he could think that she was an enemy. No one knew what weapons he had on him, but knowing him he always had at least five. She stood back, a feather in hand, as she watched her little brother flinch and sweat. She couldn't handle this but she forced herself to. Most people don't realize that deployments are hard for the family too, especially when they come home. The family has to adapt to nightmares or PTSD in some cases. Sometimes the soldiers come back fine but most of the time they're not. The family has to watch their relative suffer, even if it's for good it doesn't mean it's any easier.

Gibbs hated this. He hated it when he experienced them, when his buddies experienced them, and when this stranger experienced them. The nightmares could sneak up on you quickly, almost giving you whiplash with their speed. You could be dreaming of a damned puppy and then BAM, you're in a war. They didn't give any warning and they were ruthless, just like when it happened in reality. Shannon knew that he didn't mean to scream and wake up Kelly in the middle of the night, but that didn't make him feel any better. Gibbs had come very close to moving into a separate apartment, just so his wife and child could sleep. He never moved out, Shannon would threaten to knock him out with her wooden spoon when he would mention it. She was always a spitfire, never willing to let him to drown in self-loathing. He got better, the nightmares became less frequent and he actually got some sleep. On some days he would still have horrible nightmares, Shannon would always call his name until he woke. He wasn't deployed for a while thankfully so his nightmares were rare. He felt good, and dreaded the moment when he got the reassignment letter. Then he got deployed and he thought that Shannon would be there when he came home. When he came back to an empty house covered in crime scene tape and blood, the nightmares came back. They were different this time though. They weren't about war, no, they were about his family; More often the death of his family. Now he didn't have Shannon to call his name or assure him every night. Now Leroy Jethro Gibbs woke alone to the silence of his home, his screams echoing through the hollow shell that he called his house. He didn't know if he would ever find someone worthy or strong enough to help him, to calm his screams like Shannon did.

Tony twisted and tensed. He was sweating like crazy, his whole body lined with a slick sheet of sweat. The wheel chair seat squeaked with each abrupt moment. He was growling, his face set in a dangerous glare. His leg was shivering, visibly contracting and relaxing through his pant leg. His jaw was clenched so tightly you would've thought his teeth were going to shatter. His lip was bleeding lazily, his teeth having nicked the sensitive skin earlier. His eyes were fluttering, not even stopping for a second. His hands were curled around the wheelchair armrests, the foamy material ripping at the seams. His feet were tucked underneath the wheelchair, constantly twitching with every growl he emitted. He looked scary, even in this vulnerable state.

The only occupants left in the car were the NCIS team and Natasha. Ducky and Palmer for their medical knowledge; Kate and McGee for muscle, incase this got out of hand. Gibbs was there for his previous experiences, having been the only other one with military experience. Natasha was there because it was her brother who was twisting and growling in pain. The team watched on, trying to break him out of his reverie. They were constantly rubbing feathers under his nose and calling his name to no avail. Nothing would wake him from his nightmare and Tony was the one suffering.

_They were in Iraq, the man, their target, was now their captor. It was just Bobby, Faith, and Tony. They were on a pretty easy mission considering. Get in, get the target, and get the hell out. They were just about to take down the sick bastard when emerald gas came through the vents. They were trained to avoid situations like this, getting caught. Tony ordered everyone to the ground, away from the high vents. His deep voice barely carried over the loud hissing of the gas. He hoped the LEO's outside were okay because they were sure as hell not. He watched with anger as the large oak doors closed and they were trapped in the small office. He knew they were going down but he wasn't giving up. He was going to give it his all to get his team out alive. He knew the target was in the room with him, having spotted his shiny black Armani's while belly flopping to the ground. The hard wood floor was cold on his skin, making him uncomfortable. He was used to deserts and eastern countries with humid climates; not freezing tiles. The hot weather cleared his head, it made everything real. This cold flooring made his mind go fuzzy, but maybe it was the gas currently creeping through his bandana covered nose? He didn't know but he knew he was a ranger, and he knew he had to adapt._

_He made sure his team had bandanas plastered on their faces before he stood. He grabbed the man and almost shit himself. His mind was foggy but he could recognize that cocky grin anywhere, even when it was behind a gas mask; __**they knew you were coming Tony, someone's a rat.**__ He felt his eyes start to close and shook it off. __**Bobby and Faith are with you, you have to be strong.**__ He repeated in his head, he hoped the mantra offered some sort of support to his hazy brain. He threw a punch at the man and frowned when it didn't hit him. Then he realized there were multiples of the man and frowned. They weren't there before right? He watched Faith punch one of them and they all fell to the ground. He felt himself fall sideways and expected to hit the ground himself, cringing automatically. Instead he felt warm arms engulf him and opened his now closed? eyes. He looked up at Faith and Bobby and smiled. They were alive. He took off his bandana with clumsy fingers and ripped it in half. He placed one half on Faith's nose and the other on Bobby's. He grinned when his team's eyes squinted in anger. He shrugged and smirked. As long as they were safe he didn't give a shit._

"_Get. Out." He said with a shaky yet commanding voice. Bobby nodded and grabbed him. The bigger man threw the limp form over his shoulder, into a fireman's hold. He ran to the door and threw his free shoulder against it, forming a rhythm with Faith. They heard the wood crack and splinter after five strong hits and grinned. Faith kicked the door with a forceful boot and made a small opening. They were both light-headed and knew that they didn't have much time left; the man who Faith socked in the chin was going to get up eventually. The hole was small enough for Faith to get through but not large enough for the men, who weren't blessed with her narrow shoulders. Bobby looked at her pleading face and smiled, the older man accepting whatever fate God was gonna give him. _

"_I'll take care of TJ. If you don't get your ass outta here or I will personally kick it out. I'll be fine sweetheart. Get out while you can." He said sternly. She frowned but nodded. She dove through the thick door and landed in a roll. She ran out of the house, looking for any type of help. She rounded the corner of the large building and frowned. Only three police officers were left out of the fifteen that were there previously. Multiple uniform-covered bodies were lying throughout the dark yard. The remaining cops were chuckling at the house, a machine gun in each hand. Blood covered their uniforms and their eyes had a dark murderous glint. She sighed and ran a shaky hand through her dirty hair. Why did this always happen to them?_

_Okay, they've dealt with this before. Cops turned bad for the local gangs or Mafioso's to earn some real cash. It was all too familiar, a situation where the good men turn bad. She smiled and thought of Tony; one of the truly good men. His voice echoed through her pounding head. __**'Come on hotshot, defuse the problem and get the fuck out.'**__ She grinned and grabbed her side arm, a beautiful SIG that shined like the stars when placed in light. She had named her Charli, after a childhood friend she lost while traveling around. She wasn't afraid to admit she was an army brat. Her father was a ranger and her mother was a field medic. Both of her parents were heroes and she was bound to be one too, it did run in the genes. She was a ranger and her three big brothers were all in various military jobs. Ricky is a marine, Tyler is a Navy captain, and the youngest of the three, Johnny, is a field medic. She was proud of her older brothers, and made sure to watch out for them when she could. She might be the baby sister but she is far more mature than they will ever be. She's older than Tony so she felt protective. He was just a baby to her, even if it was only two years that separated them. He was so bright and young and lively, she didn't want the war to take that away from him. He was too young to be holding that much on his large shoulders; he had to think about a whole platoon. Sixteen men and women that were his responsibility; If one of them were to mess up people would think it was Tony's fault. The other rangers were already skeptical of their dysfunctional little family. They were the ones no one else wanted nor needed. They were the leftovers of the rangers. To Tony they were something else though. They were heroes, angels with shotguns. Not trouble makers or smart asses. They were good people in Tony's eyes._

_So that's why now, when she's faced with an impossible situation she had a smile on her face. Tony had taught them and trained them through various scenarios. This was a piece of cake._

_She decided to grab her canister of gas, a sort of payback if you will. It was a small can, filled with a transparent sedative strong enough to knock out five horses. She grinned and uncapped the seal. She threw it with her impeccable aim and watched as it rolled underneath the car the cops were leaning on. They didn't even notice the small hiss the can emitted over their own chuckling. She watched as one…two…three men were down. She grabbed some zip ties and walked over, her bandana and half of Tony's on her face. She dragged the men to an uncontaminated area quickly, not wanting to kill them via overdose. She smiled down at her neon colored zip ties, Tony had bought them for her on her first trip out of the country. __**'Ya never know when you're gonna need to tie someone up.' Tony said with a wink.**__ She grinned, thinking of the cocky man. She grabbed the assailant's wrist and wrapped them extra tight, trying to ignore their murdered colleagues three feet away. She made sure most of their bodies would be painfully tingly when they awoke. She flicked one of them on the cheek harshly and smiled, her grin nerve-wracking._

"_Stupid ass." She muttered before going into strategic-planning-mode. They had one probably-armed man inside of the office with her unconscious CO and hopefully conscious teammate. She checked her body, counting what she had and ignoring what she didn't. AK-47, three full clips to go along with it, two cans of 'knock out' gas, a satellite phone, her SIG that had a full clip, ten zip ties, a canteen of water, a freeze-dried pack of apricots, three large knifes, a bandana and a half, a small taser, an infrared scope, a lighter, and a pack of sunflower seeds. She smiled, knowing that Bobby had the med kit and he was with TJ, who was always in need of a doc. She shrugged and grabbed her SIG. She was getting in somehow._

_She rounded the large building, needing to get a look at her team. She hoped they weren't too hurt, knowing Tony though it was going to be bad. She frowned and grabbed her satellite phone. She dialed the four digit code that told a medical team to get prepared. They were at least a hundred and twenty miles away, and reinforcements were going to take a day or two. She didn't want to call any more cops in fear of being betrayed by them again. Besides, they didn't have the proper weapons and weren't as skilled as they needed to be. She didn't want any innocents getting hurt._

_She made her way to a window, peeking one eye through it to get a glance. Yep, the man was still alive, holding her boss and her teammate at gunpoint. She felt her temper shorten; she didn't like it when people held guns at her team, hell, who did? _

_She decided that she was going to make two quick shots; one to break the window, the other to hit the Carotid artery on their captor. It was going to be rough, usually you needed two people to pull this off, but she had the best training and she was ready._

_She prayed, aimed, and shot; ignoring that she got clipped in the process. TJ was on the ground, halfway conscious, and a bit beaten up; his face was turning black and blue, his wrist was bent at an unnatural angle, and his ankle was definitely sprained. She turned towards him, not noticing the man underneath the desk, holding a random child hostage._

"_You guys oka-" The hidden man stood abruptly, his gas mask muffling his voice._

"_Don't move!" The man said, holding a little girl in front of him as he pressed his handgun to her temple. They had no shot, the thick desk protecting his lower half and the girl blocking his upper half. Tony put his hands up, not wanting the child to get hurt. According to the targets file he didn't have any children so this meant the random man took a random kid. Tony growled._

"_PUT YOUR GUN DOWN!" He yelled loudly, causing his headache to roar angrily; the fumes were really horrible. The man smirked and looked towards Faith, who had her hands up, following her leader's movements. _

"_You have a choice. You killed my brother, so I will let you decide; which girl do you want to save?" He asked harshly, his smile demented. Tony looked towards Faith who nodded; if she could trade places with the little girl, she could disarm the man. _

"_I pick her, just don't hurt the child." Tony declared softly. He nodded and laughed, Tony felt his gut churn. The man – now known as the brother of the target – shook his head, a smirk growing._

"_YOU DON'T GET TO CHOOSE!" He screamed as he pulled the trigger, effectively ending the girl's sobs. Tony yelled and lifted his gun, shooting the man in the head more times than necessary. The room was silent; the only noise the heaving breaths of his team. _

Tony gasped awake, his hand going for his gun. He pointed it at Gibb's head, cursing in Arabic as he shook with anger. He didn't seem aware of his surroundings, the fact that he was safe, in a van, next to his sister, didn't seem to register. He was hallucinating, and that was more dangerous than anything. Gibbs put up his hands as Kate tried to find a weak spot so she could disarm him. Tony growled, staring at Gibbs as if he was the devil himself.

"She was just a baby!" He seethed angrily, his hands clenching his side arm even tighter. Gibbs nodded in vague understanding as he lowered his hands to a relaxed position.

"Tony you need to snap out of it. You are not in war, you are not in danger, and _she_ is not here." Gibbs clarified softly, genuine sympathy in his eyes. Tony continued to mutter, declaring that yes the girl wasn't here, the little girl was dead, because apparently Gibbs – now called Saleem – had killed her. Gibbs finally had enough, knowing Tony needed to get out of his delusions sooner rather than later.

"DINOZZO!" He yelled gruffly, using his CO voice. Tony snapped to attention, well as much as he could; wheelchairs had their limits. The gun fell on the ground, clattering loudly. Tony's eyes continued to ogle ahead, completely unresponsive as he stared at the van door. Kate patted him down, pulling out three knifes, four guns, and a machete in the process. Gibbs clapped his shoulder gently, sighing as he did.

"It'll be okay, Ranger."

With that the group got moving. Ducky declared that Tony was in a state of shock, that he didn't need to go to a hospital, and that some rest might cure him better than a psychologist at the moment; besides, Tony would be upset with them and it wasn't worth it. Natasha and Owen loaded their forlorn children into the van, silently reassuring them with pained smiles.

They rode in silence, making it to Ricardo's without a word spoken. Tony stared ahead, blinking rarely, and looking mesmerized by the barren van door. Natasha pulled into a parking spot, glad that Ricardo had reserved them a personal dining room, knowing Tony didn't need to socialize. She declared that they had arrived with an extreme amount of enthusiasm, which did little to lighten the dark mood. They stepped out of the van, leaving only Tony, and an adamant Gibbs, who promptly stated that he could take care of it. He squatted down to Tony's level, looking into his vacant eyes.

"I'm gonna unstrap ya, you okay with that?" He asked softly, his eyes warmer than ever. Tony didn't respond as expected so Gibbs made slow movements, doing nothing to offend or startle the younger man as he unstrapped the wheelchair. He explained every move he made painfully slow, constantly encouraging the distressed man to talk or move. They rolled into Ricardo's with nothing but a twitch of the thumb to count as progress.

The older man ran out from behind the counter, engulfing Natasha, who had been the first to walk in, into his large arms. He smelt of tomatoes, garlic, and pine. It was one of the twin's favorite smells, it smelt of home.

"Oh! Natasha! It is so good to see you my dear!" He declared happily, his eyes bright with delight. Natasha nodded and hugged him back, her smile warm.

"It's good to see you too Ricardo! Tony's here, he's just, well, he's having a rough bout. The memories are really bad this time around; so just…stay calm I guess, it's the only thing we can do right?" She asked softly, silently begging to be reassured. He nodded against her neck, his smile sad.

"Of course my dear, he will be fine. I will make sure of it or no pie for him!" He declared enthusiastically, his finger pointed as a promise. She laughed and Ricardo went through the group, hugging every new face and practically suffocating the familiar ones. The last one left was Tony, who was still staring off into space, his expression plain. Ricardo squatted down, poking his nose playfully.

"My boy? What have you done now?" He asked softly, his smile hopeful as always. That was when Tony looked at him as if he appeared out of thin air, poked his cheek, and grinned happily.

A/N **P.S. **Tony's going to get into some action soon (I love badass Tony) so get your popcorn. Review, Favorite, and Follow for more! c:

2nd A/N For all of you who have commented on Owen's surname (the fact that it's Natasha's and not vice versa.) I applaud you on finding my secret. It's a major part of the story, and will probably come up in a chapter or two. Now, stop being so observant and ruining my fun! c:


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